Madhya Pradesh: Boat With 100 Passengers Stranded In Crocodile-Infested Chambal River Towed To Safety

All the passengers were rescued safely when the ferry boat was towed to the shore by the local administration, officials said.

The incident happened at around 11.30 am when the steamer, carrying around 100 passengers and 60 two-wheelers, was travelling from Porsa in Morena district in Madhya Pradesh to the Bateshwar Mahadev temple in Uttar Pradesh.

The engine of the steamer suddenly broke down in the mid-river, leaving the vessel to drift with the current as the crew members and the passengers watched helplessly, officials said.

The crew tried to row the boat to the shore with the help of oars but failed to defy the water current, leaving the steamer to the mercy of the current.

Rescuers finally managed to take control of the drifting steamer in the mid-river around 100 km away and towed it to the bank at Kachchapura in the neighbouring Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh, officials said.

All the passengers were safely evacuated, the officials said.

People in Chambal areas of Madhya Pradesh travel in steamers to visit the Bateshwar Mahadev temple in Uttar Pradesh particularly on every Monday during the month of Shravan which falls in the rainy season.

The ancient shrine of Bateshwar is located in the village of Bateshwar along the Yamuna River in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.

The temple sits roughly eight km from the town of Bah, nestled near the Chambal ravines.

Chambal river is highly infested by crocodiles.