A pall of gloom descended on west Delhi's Khajan Basti on Friday as the locality mourned the loss of three members of a single family after a cruise boat sank in a dam on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur on Thursday.
Three generations of the Massey family — 39-year-old Marina, her young son Trishan (4), and her mother Madhur (62) — were killed when the boat carrying 35 to 40 passengers ran into strong winds and high waves in the river. What was meant to be a joyful extension of a family housewarming in Jabalpur ended in heartbreaking tragedy.
Though Marina's father Julius, husband Pradeep, and their daughter Siya managed to survive the nightmare, they are now left at a home that feels agonisingly empty. The sorrow was compounded by the fact that the boat ride was a spontaneous decision before the Masseys were to return to Delhi.
Marina's sister Treeza is still haunted by their frantic last communication. Speaking to TOI, she said, "It was a one-minute video call in which Marina sought help once the placid waters of the dam suddenly turned choppy. After that, we found her phone switched off. I tried several times, but it remained unreachable. Later, we received a call informing us about the accident. It was sheer negligence that took away my family members."
Marina's brother Kuldeep said that around 5.30 pm on Thursday, his sister had made the first video call to Trezza, in which everything appeared normal. However, after 10 minutes, the weather began changing and Marina's distress call was received. "In the call, my sister was pleading for help," Kuldeep said.
There was no proper rescue system in place, he said. "There should have been dedicated rescue teams, along with adequate safety equipment," he added, noting that locals saved his father using a rope.
The losses feel particularly cruel when Treeza and Kuldeep speak of the lives interrupted: of Marina, a dedicated homemaker, and little Trishan, who had just started preparatory school.
There is a growing demand for accountability from those left behind. Relatives of the Masseys alleged that the accident was entirely preventable, claiming that the boatman had ignored passengers' pleas to head back to the safety of the shore when the waters turned turbulent. The relatives also pointed to a pattern of poor safety regulation and a history of close calls at the spot.
