Watch Video: BJP Leaders Fall Into River As Their Boat Tilts During Former PM Vajpayee’s Ashes Immersion in Kuano River in UP

Lucknow, August 26: A boat with 17 people onboard including state minister and four MLAs, fell into the water after it tilted during the immersion of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ashes in Kuano river on Saturday. The boat capsized in the Kuano river in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti during the immersion ceremony of the former Prime Minister. The urn containing the ashes was bought to the Amhat Ghat and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders paid homage to it.

According to a report by PTI, the MP and MLAs participating in the ceremony, along with the district magistrate and the superintendent of police, fell or leapt off the unbalanced boat. Reports inform that the boat was close to the bank and everybody was immediately pulled to safety.

Watch Video: Boat capsizes during former PM Vajpayee’s ashes immersion in UP

The ashes of the former prime minister who died on August 16 are being immersed in several rivers across the country. The PTI report quotes Basti's Superintendent of Police Dilip Kumar saying that when the boat tilted to one side people jumped off towards the bank. “All of them were immediately taken out, and there was no casualty," he told PTI.

On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the ashes of the former prime minister were immersed in Rapti river. Speaking on the occasion, he said the former prime minister would always be remembered for the developmental works undertaken by him. “He has worked for the improvement of the infrastructural facilities in the country, be it the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana or the Golden quadilateral.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2018 09:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).