Vrindavan boat capsizes in Yamuna, 16 dead including Pankaj Malhotra
India
A boat carrying pilgrims in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, capsized in the Yamuna River, leaving 16 people dead, including Pankaj Malhotra and two of his family members.
The group had traveled from Punjab for a pilgrimage when their overcrowded boat hit a metal drum from a floating bridge and overturned within seconds.
No life jackets spark safety questions
Viral videos showed there were no life jackets on board.
Pankaj's father shared his heartbreak, saying, "My son has been found. We will reach home for his last rites after the autopsy is done. He has a wife and two small children waiting. There were no safety arrangements on that boat—no life jackets, nothing."
The incident has sparked serious questions about basic safety measures for pilgrim boats on the Yamuna.