In a heart wrenching incident, a woman’s body, clutching her son to her chest, was retrieved from the Bargi Dam following the capsizing of a cruise boat on Thursday.
Published: May 1, 2026 3:59 PM IST
A tragic incident took place in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday when a cruise boat overturned in the Narmada River near the Bargi Dam in Jabalpur district. At a time like this, when most people aboard the cruise were trying to save their lives, the story of a mother and son has come to light, showing a mother’s love for her child even in the face of death.
Rescuers on Friday found the bodies of a mother clutching her child to her chest in a desperate attempt to save him. The two were a part of a family of four tourists from Delhi. While the father and daughter managed to survive the accident, the mother and son could not escape death. The incident claimed the lives of nine others.
Mother clings to her child
The incident that is drawing a lot of attention, other than the capsizing of the boat itself, is the image of a mother clinging to her child. Rescuers found the bodies of the mother and her child in her arms in what appeared to be a final effort to protect him.
Those who were present at the scene when the rescuers found the bodies called it a heart-wrenching moment. According to India TV, one of the rescuers said, “We were shocked to see it. We tried to move the woman’s body, but it did not move. We tried to see why it was not getting pulled, and we saw that the mother held the child so firmly in her arms that we were not able to pull them out.”
Speaking to NDTV, another man said his wife, mother-in-law, and grandson “disappeared within seconds” when the weather turned bad, and a strong storm hit. “The boat became unstable and soon started taking in water,” he added.
Crew did not intervene
According to the accounts from survivors, gross negligence ensued during the incident. Many claimed that safety protocols were not followed before the boat set off, and that life jackets were either unavailable or given out only after it began to sink. Locals were the first to step in, tossing ropes into the water and assisting those trying to stay afloat.
Tourism Minister orders probe into cruise accident
Tourism Minister Dharmendra Singh Lodhi has ordered a probe into the matter and assured strict action against those found responsible. He said, “This is a very sad and heartbreaking incident. I have ordered the department to investigate this incident. If negligence has occurred, we will take the strongest possible action. Nine people have died in this incident.”
He further said that the death toll may rise and ordered a probe, adding that strict action will be taken if any negligence is found.”I suspect the figure may rise… I have ordered an investigation. If any negligence is found, the strongest possible action will be taken,” he added.
Search for one missing in cruise accident
Rescue operations have been underway since Friday morning to rescue the injured. The capsized cruise remained lodged nearly 20 feet underwater in the reservoir with divers, boats, and heavy machinery deployed to reach it.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening when an MP Tourism cruise boat carrying around 40 to 45 passengers capsized nearly 300 metres from the embankment after being hit by a sudden storm. Strong winds of around 40 kmph and heavy rain caused the vessel to lose control and sink rapidly.
