Jabalpur tragedy: Delhi woman’s last video call reveals unseen horrors from boat

What began as a family trip to attend a housewarming ceremony in Madhya Pradesh turned into a devastating tragedy for a Delhi family after three of its six members died when a cruise boat capsized in the Bargi reservoir on the Narmada river, relatives said on Saturday.

After attending the ceremony at a relative’s home in Jabalpur on Tuesday, the Massey family from the Delhi Cantonment area decided to spend a day sightseeing before returning to Delhi.

On Thursday evening, the family went on a cruise boat, operated by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department, at the Bargi Dam with around 40 passengers when it was hit with strong winds and waves and overturned.

Three from the family — Marina, 39, her four-year-old son Trishan, also called Jahan, and her mother, Madhur Massey, 62, lost their lives. Marina’s husband, Pradeep, their 14-year-old daughter, Siya, fondly called Pihu, and her father, Julius Massey, 65, survived.

“My mother, father, sister, her children, and brother-in-law had gone to Jabalpur for a housewarming function. They were to return to Delhi on Thursday and reach by Friday. Instead, they went sightseeing and then this happened,” Marina’s brother Kuldeep Mohan told PTI.

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Recalling the incident, Kuldeep said the family members were on the upper deck when weather conditions suddenly deteriorated.

“My sister was on a video call with us, showing us the view and the water. Then suddenly everything changed. She kept crying, ‘Save me… save me…’ and after that the phone disconnected,” he said.

He further said that the waves started rising, and the cruise became unbalanced.

“Everyone from the first floor rushed downstairs. The boat was shaking badly, and water began entering. Then, my brother-in-law, Pradeep, hurriedly started searching for life jackets,” he said.

Kuldeep added that his brother-in-law opened packets containing life jackets and began distributing them to passengers as panic spread onboard.

“Some wore the jackets, while some jumped into the water in fear. Those who jumped were saved by local villagers using ropes and rescue equipment. My father was among those rescued,” he said.

Mohan explained that Pradeep, who knew some swimming, managed to save himself and his teenage daughter.

However, by the time he turned to search for the rest of the family, they had disappeared, trapped beneath the overturned vessel, Mohan said.

“By the time my brother-in-law could look for my sister, her child and my mother, they had gone missing under the ship,” he said.

Relatives alleged negligence by operators and authorities, claiming no warning was issued to tourists despite a yellow weather alert.

“A yellow alert had already been issued, but no one informed them. If they had told people the weather was dangerous, and the boat could not operate, nobody would have boarded,” Mohan said.

He also questioned the absence of a permanent emergency rescue setup at the tourist spot.

“It was hardly 150 to 200 metres from the shore, but the waves were so strong that people kept getting pushed back. If it is a tourist place, there should be a permanent rescue team. Emergencies do not come with warning,” he said.

Another relative, Sangeeta Kori, who lives in Jabalpur, alleged the boat was overloaded and that villagers had tried to guide the operator toward the safer side of the bank, but he did not heed their warning.

“It is sheer negligence. They have turned it into a source of income, and there was no concern for safety. People from the village were shouting and signalling to him which side to bring the boat. Had he brought it this side, they might have been saved. But he kept steering the other way, and it capsized,” she said.

Five more bodies were recovered on Friday from Bargi Dam, taking the toll to nine, while search operations were underway for six more missing tourists. Twenty-eight people have so far been rescued safely.

With survivors alleging negligence, lack of life jackets for tourists and other safety lapses, the state government ordered a probe and sacked three members of the boat’s crew.

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