Mathura boat capsize: 10 dead, 5 missing after tourist vessel overturns in Yamuna near Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan

A boat carrying tourists from the Punjab city of Ludhiana capsized in the Yamuna River near Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan, Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday, April 10, 2026, killing at least 10 people and leaving 5 others missing. National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams continued rescue operations through Saturday morning as divers searched the deeper sections of the Yamuna for those still unaccounted for.

The group was part of a 30-member tourist party from Ludhiana that had rented two boats for an afternoon river tour of Vrindavan’s famous ghats. Approximately 25 to 27 passengers were aboard the boat at the time of the accident, according to Mathura district officials. The incident occurred at approximately 3:15 PM, according to Mathura District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh.

How the Mathura boat capsize near Keshi Ghat unfolded on April 10, 2026

Eyewitnesses told reporters that the boat began to sway violently due to gusty winds shortly before the accident. The vessel’s speed then increased and it collided with a pontoon structure on the Yamuna River, causing it to capsize. Authorities noted that a pontoon bridge in the Keshi Ghat area had recently been dismantled due to rising water levels, leaving floating pontoon drums in the river. Officials said one of these drums was the object the boat struck.

Mathura Deputy Inspector General Shailesh Kumar Pandey confirmed that NDRF teams retrieved the capsized boat after a four-hour continuous operation on Friday. He said the death toll stood at 10, comprising 5 men and 5 women, and that post-mortem procedures were nearly complete before the remains would be returned to the families. Agra Divisional Commissioner Nagendra Pratap confirmed that rescue operations remained active into Saturday and that five people were still missing. The injured were being treated in hospitals in Vrindavan.

What the viral videos of the Vrindavan boat accident showed

Two videos of the incident circulated widely on Indian news platforms and social media. One video showed passengers singing devotional songs aboard the boat in calm conditions shortly before the capsize. The second captured the moment of the disaster, showing passengers in visible distress and several people struggling in the water. The footage drew national attention to the tragedy and prompted questions about the adequacy of safety measures for commercial boat operations on the Yamuna at Vrindavan.

How Uttar Pradesh authorities responded to the Yamuna boat tragedy in Mathura

Uttar Pradesh Minister Lakshmi Narayan Chaudhary said pilgrims from Haryana and Punjab had been affected when a sudden storm caused the boat to overturn. He confirmed that 21 people had been rescued safely and were receiving free treatment, with the full district administration deployed to the site alongside NDRF and SDRF personnel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each of the deceased. Injured survivors would receive Rs 50,000 each under the same fund. Modi said he was deeply pained by the tragedy and that the local administration was assisting those affected. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the incident extremely tragic and heart-rending, and directed officials to ensure proper treatment for all injured persons. Mathura Member of Parliament Hema Malini expressed condolences and said she was deeply saddened by the loss of life.

Aam Aadmi Party Member of the Legislative Assembly from Ludhiana’s Atam Nagar constituency, Kulwant Sidhu, visited families of the victims and extended condolences. He confirmed that some persons remained missing. The political response reflected the cross-state dimensions of the tragedy, with victims drawn primarily from Punjab and the accident taking place in Uttar Pradesh.

What families of the Ludhiana pilgrims said after the Mathura boat capsize

Family members of those aboard described the shock of losing contact with their relatives after the incident. One relative said that 8 to 10 people from their area had travelled to Mathura and Vrindavan, that they had spoken with family members by phone who were happy on arrival, and that they subsequently received news of the capsizing and were unable to reach anyone afterward. Another family member said the group had uploaded a video at around 2:30 PM expressing happiness, recorded less than an hour before the capsize.

Why river boat safety at Vrindavan’s Keshi Ghat is under scrutiny after the Yamuna accident

Keshi Ghat is one of the most prominent riverfront locations in Vrindavan, a city in Mathura district that draws millions of Hindu pilgrims every year. The Yamuna River running through Mathura and Vrindavan holds deep religious significance in Vaishnava tradition, associated closely with the life of Lord Krishna. River boat rides along the ghats are a standard and long-established feature of pilgrimage visits to the area. The dismantling of the pontoon bridge ahead of rising seasonal water levels introduced a hazard in a stretch of the river regularly used by tourist boats.

Whether river safety authorities, boat operators, or the local administration bear responsibility for the presence of floating pontoon drums in an active boating area had not been addressed publicly by state officials as of Saturday morning. No formal investigation findings had been published by the time rescue operations moved into their second day.

What the Mathura boat capsize means for river safety, disaster response, and pilgrimage tourism in Uttar Pradesh

• A boat carrying approximately 25 to 27 passengers from Ludhiana, Punjab, capsized in the Yamuna River near Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan, Mathura, on April 10, 2026, killing 10 people and leaving 5 missing as rescue operations continued into April 11.
• The boat collided with floating pontoon drums left in the river after a pontoon bridge in the area was recently dismantled due to rising water levels, raising questions about whether the hazard was adequately communicated to commercial boat operators.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia payments of Rs 2 lakh per deceased and Rs 50,000 per injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
• National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams retrieved the capsized vessel within four hours and continued river search operations through Saturday morning.
• The incident has renewed scrutiny of life-jacket availability, passenger load regulations, and safety inspection standards for commercial tourist boats on major pilgrimage rivers in Uttar Pradesh.