Indian actor and film producer Sonu Sood on Friday reacted to a boating accident in Jabalpur that left at least nine people dead, 28 rescued from the water and a frantic search for six tourists still missing.
He called for mandatory life jackets and strict liability for saving lives, and proposed the creation of a government portal where every journey would include proof that all passengers were wearing life jackets before departure.
“A while ago I tweeted about the Bihar boat tragedy and urged life jackets for every passenger. Then came Vrindavan… and now Madhya Pradesh, more lives lost in the same way. How many more?” Sood asked.
He added: “It’s time to make it mandatory: no ship should leave without every passenger wearing a lifejacket. We also need a government portal where each voyage uploads time-stamped proof of all passengers in lifejackets before departure. Only strict accountability can save lives.”
“Stuck for 4-5 hours, no sound”
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited the house of Syed Hussain, who was affected by the capsize of a cruise ship in Jabalpur, and condoled the loss of his wife Reshma Syed.
Read also | Jabalpur Bargi dam tragedy claims 7 lives, 15 rescued
Hussain mentioned, “I was stuck above the boat… I was stuck in the water for 4-5 hours and there was no sound… 3 members of my family had already drowned and I could have drowned too but miraculously I was saved… CM calmed me down…”
Among the victims of the incident were 40-year-old Marina, her mother Madhur and her four-year-old son Jahaan. Marina’s family also expressed their grief and claimed that negligence may have contributed to the incident.
Speaking to ANI, Gladvin, son of Madhur and brother of Marina, described the incident as tragic and expressed deep grief over the loss of his family members.
“It is very tragic for me. My life has become very problematic… Three members of my house – my sister, mother and my four-year-old nephew – all died in this accident,” he said.
Read also | Mathura boat tragedy: Rescue operations continue as 5 still missing; 10 killed
Gladvin added: “They said people advised not to continue. They kept sailing forward and there it got stuck in the storm. And it was quite an old voyage. That’s why all the incidents happened. I would call it negligence and also from a safety point of view because they weren’t given life jackets in time.”
Read also | Mathura tragedy: Tourist boat capsizes in Yamuna; 10 dead, several missing
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Dharmendra Singh Lodhi on Friday ordered an inquiry into the incident and assured that strict action would be taken against those found responsible.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said the loss of life in the boat capsize in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh was deeply distressing. It expressed its condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The statement added that the local government was providing assistance to the affected and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased while receiving injuries ₹50,000.
