MP Ganesh Immersion incident: District collector announces Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased

11 people died near Khatlapura Ghat in Bhopal on Friday during immersion of Ganesh idols. Rescue operations currently underway. An ex-gratia of Rs four lakh has been announced by the district collector for the families of those who drowned and died.

Bhopal:At least 11 bodies were recovered while five people have been rescued at Khatlapura Ghat in Bhopal after the boat they were in capsized this morning during Ganesh immersion. An ex-gratia of Rs four lakh has been announced by the district collector for the families of those who drowned and died.

"Five people have been rescued out of 16 and we have recovered 11 bodies till now. A search operation is underway and we are trying to rescue other people as well. According to the locals, only these many people had drowned here, but we are still searching in case we find some other people," said Akhil Patel, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP).

"This incident occurred at around 4:30 in the morning. At least 40 police personnel are present at the spot along with other authorities and professional swimmers. State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) team is also present at the spot," he added.

MP Law Minister PC Sharma said, "Despite proper security arrangements, this incident took place so we will investigate the matter and try to find out the reason behind this mishap. Collector has announced an ex-gratia of Rs four lakh for the kin of those drowned and died."