President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar have expressed grief over the loss of lives after a boat capsized in the Mahanadi river in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district.

In a social media post, the President said that she is distressed to learn the loss of many lives in the accident. President Droupadi Murmu conveyed her condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for speedy recovery of all those affected by the tragedy.

The Vice President said that he is deeply saddened by the tragic incident. He conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Odisha Boat Tragedy Toll Rises To 7 With Recovery Of 5 Bodies

The death toll in the tragic boat mishap in Mahanadi river in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district rose to seven on Saturday with the recovery of five more bodies.

Sources said the ODRAF and fire services personnel recovered five bodies during search operation in Hirakud Dam area here. Two bodies had been retrieved from during search operation launched after the mishap on Friday. The deceased reportedly included three women and three boys.

The search operation is still in progress to trace one more persons who have been missing since the mishap took place on Friday.

All deceased persons are stated to be from Kharseni area of neighbouring Chhattisgarh. They were traveling on the ferry to Patharseni under Ambavona Block when the incident took place.

Around 50 passengers were reportedly onboard when the boat capsized in the Hirakud Dam near Sarada ghat in Rengali area limits on Friday afternoon. While the fishermen rescued over 40 passengers, others went missing.