‘Had I not taken them there, family would’ve been alive’: Jabalpur boat accident survivor who lost 3 kin

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The bodies of Merina (39), her four-year-old son Trishan Kumar and her mother Madhur Massey arrived in Delhi on Saturday, and were carried through a west Delhi neighbourhood in Mayapuri where hundreds had gathered to receive them — among them Merina’s husband Pradeep Kumar (45), who had survived the Narmada Queen capsize in Jabalpur, and kept returning to the same thought. Relatives gather with the mortal remains of Madhur Massey (62), her daughter Mareen Massey and Mareen's four-year-old son Trishaan, who lost their lives in the Jabalpur boat tragedy at Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the cremation in New Delhi. (HT Photo)“It was my decision to take them there,” he said, as relatives tried to steady him beside the coffins. “Had I not taken that decision, my wife, my son and my mother-in-law would have been alive today.” The family had gone to Jabalpur earlier in the week for a housewarming ceremony and had taken the boat ride as a brief outing on Thursday evening before heading home. Merina had been looking forward to their 15th wedding anniversary on July 9. “She had plans. She wanted to celebrate at our home in Sagarpur,” Pradeep said. At the cemetery in Dwarka Sector 18B, where the final rites were held, Pradeep gave the fullest account yet of the moments before the capsize. As the storm hit and water entered the vessel, passengers scrambled for life-jackets stored on the lower deck. “We could find seven or eight. Everyone got one except my son,” he said. Merina tied Trishan to her own life-jacket. The two were found together the following morning, still bound by it. Merina’s sister Treeza spoke about the phone call she received at 6.07pm on Thursday — less than a minute long. “She called me and said the cruise was capsizing. She told me they might not survive. I told her to keep praying, to not lose hope. She was praying and screaming for help at the same time. I could do nothing. I was hundreds of kilometres away,” Treeza said. “The last words I heard were, ‘We are dying.’” Madhur’s body had been recovered on the night of the accident. Merina and Trishan were found only the following morning — a wait that stretched through the night for the family, who had travelled to Jabalpur and returned with the three bodies on a special flight arranged by local authorities. Pradeep’s father-in-law Julius, 67, also survived. He said those operating the boat had not taken the situation seriously. Karn Pratap Singh has been writing on crime, policing, and issues of safety in Delhi for almost a decade. He covers high-intensity spot news, including terror strikes, serial blasts and security threats in the national capital.Read More