Chandigarh, April 10 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spoke to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath after a boat carrying tourists, primarily from Punjab, capsized, resulting in at least 10 deaths.
"I spoke with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Ji regarding the Mathura boat accident... All possible assistance will be provided to the victims," Mann said in a post on X in Punjab.
In another post, he wrote, "Today, a boat carrying residents of Jagraon city (Punjab) for darshan in Vrindavan capsized in the Yamuna River near Mathura while carrying 32 people. It is with great sorrow that I must inform you that some devotees have died by drowning. I am in contact with the Uttar Pradesh government."
A boat carrying tourists, primarily from Punjab, capsized in the Yamuna near Vrindavan on Friday afternoon, resulting in at least 10 deaths and several others missing, officials said.
The accident occurred near Kesi Ghat when the boat carrying over two dozen tourists moved into deeper waters and hit a floating pontoon, they said.
Authorities noted that a pontoon bridge had recently been dismantled in the area due to rising water levels, leaving some pontoon drums in the river, one of which the boat is believed to have collided with.
District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh initially reported six fatalities, and later rescuers recovered four more bodies, bringing the death toll to 10, district administration officials confirmed.
Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu also expressed shock and grief at the incident.
"Extremely shocked by the tragic news of the boat accident of devotees from Jagraon in Vrindavan. No words can heal the pain of losing a loved one on a spiritual journey," Bittu said in a post on X.
Bittu said the administration is working tirelessly on-site for relief and rescue.
"I pray for the departed souls and for the safety of every devotee," he wrote on X.