Death toll in Hirakud boat tragedy rises to 29

Bhubaneswar/Sambalpur: With 18 more bodies recovered from the Hirakud reservoir till the latest report today, the death toll in the unfortunate boat tragedy incident rose to 29. More two bodies are still apprehended to be trapped in the deep water, said Special Relief Commissioner PK Mohapatra, adding the rescue operation is on full swing to trace more bodies.

Police, fire brigade and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams have been pressed into service since yesterday.

Yesterday the issue was raised in the Odisha Assembly after leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh demanded a statement from the Government in the House. Responding to Opposition, Minister Kalpataru Das informed the Assembly that CM Naveen Patnaik, who is in Delhi on an official visit, ordered a RDC level investigation into the ill-fated incident. The CM is also monitoring the situation closely from there, Das said.

The Government has announced a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to each to the families of the deceased and free treatment for the survivors, Das added.

The incident took place on Sunday when around 120 people from the Lion’s Club of Sambalpur, Hirakud and Bargarh, who had gone to other side of the reservoir on a picnic, were returning. The boat capsized due to over crowding, sources said.