'Told them to wear life jackets': Jabalpur cruise captain recalls final moments, says he hasn’t slept for 3 days

JABALPUR: At least nine people have died after a cruise boat capsized in Madhya Pradesh, with the vessel’s captain describing how a sudden storm overturned the boat within minutes.The incident took place on 30 April during what was meant to be a routine evening cruise.Officials said 28 people were rescued soon after the accident, while several others were initially reported missing.Captain Mahesh Patel said the journey had begun under normal conditions."I set out from here at 5.16 PM. When I started, there was no storm or anything. There were light waves like the ones right now," he said.About 20 minutes into the trip, he noticed a change in the weather and decided to turn back."We had been out for 22 minutes and then I thought we should return. We were on our way back the wind started blowing hard. I instructed the cruise staff to give everyone life jackets," he said.He said conditions worsened rapidly, with strong winds and high waves making navigation difficult."It takes about 10 minutes to reach the shore, but the boat didn't reach and it overturned. We tried our best but the boat was not ready to reach any of the corners of the shore," he said.According to Patel, not all passengers followed safety instructions."Some people were dancing downstairs. My son told me they were not wearing life jackets. I went and told them that the weather had worsened and they should wear them," he said.He said the situation escalated within minutes as water began entering the vessel."It is hard to say, maybe five to seven minutes. The waves came all of a sudden. It was submerged and then it capsized," he said.Patel, who was in the upper cabin, said he managed to rescue several children before escaping."I pulled out three to four children. Everyone was screaming. I was among the last to get out. It was very difficult," he said.He expressed remorse over the incident, saying: "I regret it 100 per cent. I haven't eaten or slept for three days. I only see those children."He also said a rescue boat, usually deployed alongside such cruises, was not present due to a shortage of staff."In such big waves, a rescue boat could have capsized itself," he said.SDOP Lokesh Dawar said search operations resumed early on Saturday."Rescue operation resumed around 6 am today. NDRF, SDRF and the Army teams are continuously carrying out the search operation. The diving team too is at it since morning. We have not received any information about any more bodies or survivors so far," he said.Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force, along with Army personnel, are continuing search efforts, including underwater operations by divers.