Jabalpur Cruise Mishap: Vessel Tilted To One Side In Water Of Bargi Dam Before Sinking, Probe Reveals

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Primary investigations into the Jabalpur cruise mishap have revealed that the vessel tilted to one side in the waters of Bargi dam before it sank, indicating a potential hull breach or engine failure.

A cruise vessel of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism (MPT), carrying 39 tourists and two crew members, capsized after facing a sudden storm in the Bargi dam on the Narmada river in Jabalpur on April 30. The tragedy claimed 13 lives, including women and children.

Following the incident, several videos went viral on social media. One common footage shows the cruise tilted to one side as it continued to sink.Thitrteen people including women and children lost life in the tragic incident.

Officials claimed that either the boat hull was damaged, causing water to fill the vessel, or the engine had stopped functioning.

Crew unaware of emergency SOP

It has also been found that the crew members were unaware of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed during an emergency. The crew members reportedly jumped off the cruise, leaving the passengers on board.

The crew should have distributed life jackets and instructed passengers to jump into the water. Instead, passengers attempted to save themselves by entering the cabin area, where they became trapped as the cruise sank. Officials noted that the crew should have followed emergency protocols similar to those applied in aeroplanes.

Life jackets for children missing

The life jackets present on the cruise were for adults and not for children. Although authorities are required to maintain life jackets for children while the cruise is operational, they failed to do so.

No blueprint of cruise

When the police, State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) and other agencies attempted to rescue people trapped in the capsized vessel, they were unable to identify the best entry points to break into the boat. This delay occurred because the authorities did not possess a blueprint of the cruise. In such operations, a blueprint is essential for the operating authority to manage emergencies effectively.