Insta reel lesson helped Punjab pilgrim survive Yamuna boat tragedy

Agra/Ludhiana: A 54-year-old woman from Ludhiana who survived the Mathura boat tragedy that left 15 pilgrims dead last week, said she managed to stay afloat in the Yamuna by following basic water-survival tips she had once seen in an Instagram reel, as rescue teams on Wednesday continued efforts to trace the lone missing pilgrim, identified as Pankaj Malhotra.

Rajinder Kaur Banga said the instructions came back to her as panic spread after the boat capsized near Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan, and helped her keep herself above water until rescuers reached her.Banga, a resident of Dugri Phase 2 in Ludhiana, was among a group of devotees crossing the Yamuna when the boat overturned. Recalling the moments before the accident, she said nearly 30 devotees had boarded the boat at Keshi Ghat and were singing bhajans when the boatman shifted five passengers to another boat.

“We were so engrossed that we did not question the boatman,” she said. She added that the group then noticed a section of a pontoon bridge drifting towards their boat, and though the boatman tried to steer away, strong wind pushed it closer, leading to a collision and the capsizing.As people struggled in the water, Banga said she remembered an Instagram reel that had shown how to survive in such a situation. “I did not open my mouth, kept my arms straight and moved my legs,” Rajinder Kaur Banga said, describing how she followed those steps to stay afloat.

She said the tips helped her hold on until rescuers from another boat pulled her out of the river. Though she suffered multiple injuries, she survived the accident, which she and her family described as a case of presence of mind in the middle of chaos.After being rescued, Banga was also the first among the survivors to alert her family in Ludhiana. Borrowing a mobile phone, she called her son, and her family said that call helped inform relatives of other victims as news of the tragedy spread.

Even after returning home, however, the shock stayed with her. Family members said it took her nearly two days to fully speak about the ordeal.The tragedy also left her grieving for people she knew closely. Banga said she lost neighbours and close friends, including Anju Gulati, Meenu Bansal and two of their relatives, with whom she shared a long bond built around travelling together and supporting one another in everyday life.

“Anju and Meenu aunty were like our extended family members. They would travel to religious places together. Mom is unable to process this,” Megha, her daughter-in-law, said.The accident took place on Friday when a boat carrying 38 pilgrims from Punjab capsized after hitting a floating drum attached to a pontoon bridge near Keshi Ghat. Police said 22 people were rescued, 15 died and one pilgrim remained missing. After the incident, Mathura police registered an FIR against the boatmen and the contractor involved in removing the pontoon bridge, and arrested both under BNS section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).