Mathura boat capsize: Last pilgrim's missing body found, death toll climbs to 16

Mathura: The death toll in the Vrindavan boat capsize incident has risen to 16 after the body of the final missing pilgrim was recovered from the Yamuna river, police said on Thursday.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said the body of Pankaj Malhotra (40), a resident of Jalalabad in Punjab's Fazilka, was found beneath the Panighat bridge following an intensive week-long search operation.

With the recovery, all pilgrims who had gone missing after the incident have now been accounted for, he said.


Malhotra, who worked as a manager in a steel factory in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra, was part of a group of pilgrims from Jagraon in Ludhiana.

A total of 16 pilgrims have died in the incident, while eight others who were injured have been discharged after treatment, officials said.

The accident occurred on April 10 when the boat, ferrying pilgrims, capsized after colliding with a pontoon structure near Keshi Ghat.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and tasked Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma with ascertaining the cause of the accident and any lapses in safety measures.