A man and three children remain missing following a boat accident at Bargi Dam in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, even as intensified rescue operations are still underway.
Nine people have been confirmed dead, while 28 out of the 41 identified passengers were rescued safely after the boat, operated by the state tourism department, capsized and sank during a sudden storm around 6 pm on Thursday.
Anjul Ayank Mishra, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), told PTI that the search radius has been expanded to 5 km in the dam's backwaters. More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, began the search operation at 5 am on Saturday.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local divers have also been leading the efforts. Reports indicate the search was briefly disrupted at 9 am due to strong winds.
The missing individuals have been identified as Kamraj, an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, his 5-year-old son Tamil, and two other children—6-year-old Vijay Soni and 5-year-old Mayuram.
"Our priority is to locate the missing persons. We will soon register an FIR," Mishra stated.
On Friday, the wreckage of the boat was retrieved from the dam water, with authorities confirming that there were no more bodies inside.
The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident and dismissed three crew members after survivors alleged negligence and safety lapses, including failure to provide life jackets to passengers.
