Mathura boat capsize: Death toll climbs to 15

The death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Yamuna river here has climbed to 15 after the recovery of two more bodies on Monday, officials said.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said that during a search operation, the body of a woman was found in the Bangali Ghat area of Mathura. She has been identified as Monika.

The second body was recovered near the Devaraha Baba Ghat in Vrindavan and the deceased has been identified as Yash alias Yuvraj Bhalla (22).


In a video recorded just minutes before the accident on Friday last, Bhalla can be seen playing a 'dhol' (drum) alongside devotees who were singing hymns.

His father informed police that Yash was a a student and used to play 'dholak' for the 'bhajan' troupe of the 'Shri Banke Bihari Club' in Jagraon in Ludhiana in his free time. He had joined this pilgrimage with the group for this purpose.

Rawat said the body of one individual --- Pankaj Malhotra (40)--- remains to be recovered.

"The bodies of all other persons reported missing so far have been retrieved. Malhotra, a resident of Jagraon, was also aboard the boat that met with the accident on Friday afternoon. The search for him is going on," he said.

Malhotra was a manager at a steel company in Himachal Pradesh.

He said eight teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with six teams of divers from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were involved in the search efforts.

The boat carrying over three dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan on Friday.

Most of the victims were from the Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district.