At least 10 tourists, including six women from Punjab, died after a steamer carrying around 30 people capsized in the Yamuna river near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan on Friday. Mathura DM Chandra Prakash Singh confirmed casualties, while over 10 remain missing. Officials said strong winds and a collision with a pontoon bridge caused the vessel to overturn midstream.
At least ten tourists, including six women, died after a steamer carrying around 30 people capsized in the Yamuna river in Vrindavan on Friday afternoon. The victims were part of a tourist group from Punjab, officials said.
Mathura District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh confirmed that nine people lost their lives in the incident. More than 10 passengers are still reported missing, raising concerns that the death toll may increase.
The incident took place around 2:45 pm near Kesi Ghat, about 2.5 km from the Banke Bihari temple.
Teams of SDRF and NDRF rushed to the spot and launched a search and rescue operation. Around 50 local divers also joined the effort. A diver identified as Gulab said nearly 15 people had been pulled out of the river, with several in critical condition.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | A boat accident occured on the Yamuna River near Keshi Ghat in Mathura. According to the Police, 22 individuals have been rescued and shifted to hospitals, but investigation is underway to determine how many of them are safe. Further details awaited. pic.twitter.com/kwzlwF0Kkz
— ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2026
Eyewitnesses said strong winds destabilised the steamer midstream. Manohar Lal, a tourist from Jagraon in Ludhiana, said the vessel began swaying due to high wind speed and lost control. It then collided with a pontoon bridge and overturned.
According to weather service Skymet, wind speed in Vrindavan was around 31 km per hour at the time of the incident, which contributed to rough conditions in the river.
