Mother found clutching child in Bargi Dam tragedy, divers recount emotional recovery

The next call came at 6.07pm. “She was hysterical. She was shouting, crying that they were drowning. She asked me to pray for them. She kept saying ‘save us, save us’ and then the call got disconnected. I called back multiple times but no one took my calls... When she called me around 5.30 pm, no one was wearing life jackets, which was shocking for me but I didn’t say anything because she looked very happy showing me the views,” Treeza said, breaking down at her parents’ house in Delhi Cantt. on Friday afternoon.

The Narmada Queen — carrying around what locals estimate was at least 43 people — capsized at approximately 6.13pm. Merina (39) was on board with her parents Julius (70) and Madhu Massey (62), her husband Pradeep Kumar Verma (39), their daughter Siya (14) and son Trishan (4). Merina, her mother Madhu and her son Trishan did not survive.

As the boat was battered by waves, Merina held on to Trishan while Pradeep, who knew how to swim, stayed with their daughter Siya, said Julius. When rescuers pulled Merina and Trishan from the water at 10pm, they were still together — mother and son inside the same life-jacket, locked in an embrace.