Jabalpur boat pilot speaks on the boat tragedy, saying he “can’t eat, sleep”

The boat pilot, Mahesh Patel, said that the dismissal will also affect his family, which survives only on the low salary he earns from the job.

On Thursday, a cruise boat capsized in Jabalpur’s Bargi dam, claiming the lives of nine people. Heart-breaking visuals of the death of a mother clutching her 4-year-old son also made the headlines. Now, the pilot of the cruise ship, Mahesh Patel, has spoken on the tragedy, saying he “can’t eat or sleep.”

Pilot of Jabalpur’s cruise ship tragedy says he tried to save as many lives as possible.

Mahesh Patel, the cruise boat’s pilot, said he tried to save as many passengers as possible when water flooded the boat and apologised for the nine deaths. Patel recalled that the weather was normal when they pushed off from Khamariyaisland, but the winds started picking up when they had reached mid-water. He said, “No warning or instruction was given to return due to bad weather.” As the storm intensified and waves began pummeling the boat, he decided to turn the boat back towards the shore. He added, “As the boat filled with water, I called the reception desk and requested that they dispatch another boat, warning them that an accident was imminent.” Patel was terminated alongside cruise helper ChhotelalGond and ticket counter-in-charge Brijendra. Patel said the dismissal will also affect his family, which had been surviving solely on the Rs 27,000 salary he earned from the job. He said, “I apologise, I am traumatised, unable to eat or sleep,” recalling the horrific scenes that unfolded in the middle of the dam.

More on the tragic cruise boat tragedy.

Several survivors alleged that they had sensed danger as the wind and waves had intensified and that they even asked the crew to turn the boat back. Patel, however, denied this and said, “No one said anything of the sort to me.” Visuals of the tragedy showed the boat crew hurriedly unpacking life jackets after water had already flooded the lower deck. The pilot, however, refuted this and said, “Many passengers had initially refused life jackets, as they were dancing and enjoying themselves.” Within half an hour of the start of the cruise, Patel witnessed the weather-fuelled inconvenience turn into a tragedy of a kind he had not seen in the 15 years of his experience as a boat pilot. The engine room was flooded, and he lost control of the boat. That was when he realised the boat would not reach the shore.

Mahesh Patel told a leading portal, “I made sure that a maximum number of passengers had life jackets on as the boat continued to sink. I was the last to leave.” The staff on board, two members instead of the standard three, usually on board and Patel jumped into action.