As many as four people died and at least 17 others went missing on Thursday, 11 August, after a boat carrying 30 to 35 people capsized in the Marka area of the Yamuna river in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district.
A day later, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh each for the kin of those who died in the incident.
He has also instructed ministers Ramkesh Nishad and Rakesh Sachan to reach the spot immediately.
The boat was going from Fatehpur to Marka village. Three bodies have been recovered so far, news agency ANI reported.
A massive rescue operation is underway by a team that includes the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force. While 20 people were rescued on Thursday, the search operation for those who are still missing resumed on Friday morning.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinandan had said that the boat capsized due to strong winds.
He added that five people were rescued safely while 17 were still missing, and three bodies were recovered.
Adding to it, Prashant Kumar, ADG, Law and Order said that all district officials are present at the spot of the incident.
Speaking to ANI, Awanish Awasthi, additional chief secretary (ACS) of Home Department, said, "The boatman has been detained and rescue operations are underway. It will continue at night also. As of now, around 20 people have been rescued and 14-15 are missing. 3 bodies recovered. Senior officers are present on the spot."
According to the police, the incident took place when the boat was on its way from Marka to Jarauli Ghat in the Fatehpur district.
SP Abhinandan said that divers were being deployed to trace the missing persons.
While seven to eight people managed to swim to safety, many are feared drowned, Additional SP Lakshmi Niwas Mishra said.
CM Adityanath Condoles Deaths, Directs Officials To Rush NDRF, SDRF to the Spot
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed senior officials of the district administration to reach the spot and supervise the relief and rescue operations.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, the chief minister directed the officials to immediately rush teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to the spot.
He also asked the officials to ensure that the best treatment was provided to the injured.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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