Mathura boat capsize: Last pilgrim's missing body found, death toll climbs to 16
Mathura (UP) (PTI): The death toll in the Vrindavan boat capsize incident has risen to 16 after the body of the final missing pilgrim was recovered from the Yamuna river, police said on Thursday.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said the body of Pankaj Malhotra (40), a resident of Jalalabad in Punjab's Fazilka, was found beneath the Panighat bridge following an intensive week-long search operation.
With the recovery, all pilgrims who had gone missing after the incident have now been accounted for, he said.
Malhotra, who worked as a manager in a steel factory in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra, was part of a group of pilgrims from Jagraon in Ludhiana.
A total of 16 pilgrims have died in the incident, while eight others who were injured have been discharged after treatment, officials said.
The accident occurred on April 10 when the boat, ferrying pilgrims, capsized after colliding with a pontoon structure near Keshi Ghat.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and tasked Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma with ascertaining the cause of the accident and any lapses in safety measures.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Akasa Air, SpiceJet planes come in contact at Delhi airport; suffer damages
New Delhi (PTI): Wings of an Akasa Air and a SpiceJet plane came in contact on the taxiway at the Delhi airport on Thursday afternoon and both aircraft have been grounded due to damages suffered in the incident, according to officials.
The officials said the Akasa Air aircraft was taxiing for take off and the SpiceJet was taxiing towards the parking stand when the incident happened at around 2.15 pm at Terminal 1 of the airport.
Akasa Air's plane was to operate flight QP-1406 from Delhi to Hyderabad while the SpiceJet aircraft had arrived from Leh, they added.
"Akasa Air’s aircraft operating flight QP 1406 from Delhi to Hyderabad had to return to the bay on April 16, 2026. Preliminary information indicates that Akasa’s aircraft was stationary when another airline’s aircraft made contact with it," the airline said in a statement.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
The airline said all passengers and crew were safely disembarked. "In line with established protocols, the relevant authorities have been informed, and the matter is under investigation," it added.
In a statement, SpiceJet said its Boeing 737-700 aircraft was involved in a ground occurrence while taxiing at the Delhi airport, resulting in damage to its right winglet and the left-hand horizontal stabiliser of another aircraft belonging to a different airline.
The SpiceJet aircraft has been grounded at Delhi, it added.
According to the officials, the wings of both aircraft came in contact on the taxiway.
