Jabalpur tragedy timeline: Helmsman’s statements amid yellow alert and capsizing

Patel told NDTV and HT that a wind warning was not communicated to him; he claimed to have alerted the boat club control room and that he was the last to jump; he said he attempted to turn the vessel and that locals later rescued him after an hour.

Divers recovered two bodies of children from Bargi Dam, taking the death toll to 11.

Officials noted a yellow alert for heavy rain had been issued earlier; Patel said he was not apprised of the weather conditions. The accident occurred about half an hour after the cruise began.

Patel says the cruise sank within seconds after riders rushed to one spot to collect life jackets; he claims he was the last one to jump and was rescued by locals about an hour later.

Mahesh Patel says he called the reception desk to send another boat and warned of an imminent accident; after the alert, staff began helping passengers wear life jackets.

Survivors alleged that their request to turn the boat around as winds began to blow was ignored; reports indicated life jackets were not immediately distributed while water flooded the deck.

Around 6:00 pm on April 30, 2026, the Narmada Queen capsized in Bargi Dam area while carrying more than 40 tourists as a violent storm hit.

The India Meteorological Department's Bhopal unit said a yellow alert for heavy rain and a thunderstorm with gusty winds (40-50 km/h) was issued on the morning of April 30, 2026 and sent to district offices.

The Narmada Queen is a 90-passenger boat operated by the Madhya Pradesh tourism department and has been in service since 2006.