MP: Four kids among seven feared dead as boat capsizes in dam; eight rescued

'The incident occurred when a boat was carrying 15 people to a temple located on the island in Matatila Dam when water gushed in,' said Pichhore's Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Prashant Sharma.

Shivpuri (MP): Three women and four children were feared to have drowned after a boat ferrying them capsized in Matatila dam in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district on Tuesday evening, police said.

In a post on X, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the dead, but did not specify the number of deceased. He also said that eight persons were rescued.

"The incident occurred when a boat was carrying 15 people to a temple located on the island in Matatila dam when water gushed in," Pichhore's Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Prashant Sharma said.

He said eight persons were rescued with the help of villagers while three women (aged 35 to 55 years) and four children (aged seven to 15 years) went missing in the water.

A search operation was launched involving divers to trace the missing persons. Villagers said 15 people from Rajavan village were on board the boat. They were headed to Siddha Baba temple located on the island in the middle of the dam. Eyewitnesses said a woman in the boat first noticed water gushing into the boat, which sank.

In the X post, CM Yadav expressed grief over the untimely death of some persons due to drowning in the boat capsize incident. The boat carrying 15 devotees was going to Siddh Baba Temple situated on the island in the middle of Matatila sam under Khaniyadhana police station area of Shivpuri district, he said.

"My sympathies are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. With the help of district administration, local citizens and NDRF jawans, eight people have been rescued safely. Instructions have been given to release financial assistance of Rs two lakhs each from the Chief Minister's Discretionary fund to the kin of the deceased," the CM said.