Bhopal: A total of seven people, including three women and four children, have gone missing after a boat full of devotees overturned in the Mata Tila Dam located in Khaniyadhana police station area of Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district on Tuesday evening, police said.
The accident site is 110 km from the district headquarter.
The dam is constructed on Betwa river in Uttar Pradesh but it shares its border with Madhya Pradesh.
The district administration has launched rescue operation on the spot.
At the same time, eight people have been evacuated safely so far.
Fifteen people of Rajavan village were going to visit Siddha Baba temple located on the island in the middle of the dam by boat.
The boat suddenly lost balance and overturned on the way.
Many people in the boat started drowning.
The local villagers showed promptness and saved seven people, but three women and four children have not been traced yet.
“A boat carrying 15 people, including women and children, capsized in Matatila Dam near Rajawan village, Khaniyadhana, while en route to an island for Holi celebrations. Seven people, including three women and four children, drowned, while eight others swam to safety,” Pichhore Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Shivdayal Dhakad, said, confirming the deaths of seven people.
“Two boats are searching the missing persons, yet none has been traced,” Prashant Sharma, Pichhore’s Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), told IANS.
He is present at the spot.
The help of divers is being taken to search for the missing people.
The NDRF team is also engaged in the rescue operation.
According to the police, rescue operation is underway as it is becoming increasingly difficult to search missing people due to falling darkness.
Among the missing people are Sharda (55), wife of Imarat Lodhi; Kumkum (15), daughter of Anoop Lodhi; Leela (40), wife of Ramnivas Lodhi; China (14), daughter of Lakshniram Lodhi; Kanha (7), son of Captain Lodhi; Ramdevi (35), wife of Bhura Lodhi; and Shiva (8), son of Bhura Lodhi.
The police have yet to find them.
All the people are residents of Rajavan village, who had gone to visit the Siddha Baba temple.
As soon as the information of the accident was received, Shivpuri’s District Collector Ravindra Chaudhary and Superintendent of Police, Aman Singh Rathore, left with the teams.
Those who were rescued to safety include Shivraj Lodhi, Savitri Lodhi, Jhanson, Gulab, Leela, Ramdevi, Usha and Pradeep Lodhi.
(IANS)
