Boat capsizes during idol immersion in Kota; two bodies recovered, search on for two others

The bodies of two young men were recovered after a boat carrying seven people capsized during a Durga idol immersion ceremony in a canal in Kota, Rajasthan, with rescue teams resuming the search operation on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) morning.

The bodies of Suraj Singh, 22, and Vikas Verma, 22, both Kota residents, were recovered during the search operation that resumed at 5.30 a.m., ASP Kota City Subhash Chandra Mishra and SDRF official Ekta Mahipal confirmed.

The search is under way for the two remaining missing youths, Rahul Joshi, 18, and Ashu Joshi, 19, who are cousins and residents of Sanjay Nagar in Kota city.

The boat capsized near Steel Bridge, under the Borekheda police station limits, around 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday (October 20, 2026), during the Durga idol immersion ceremony. Of the seven people aboard, three, Deepak, a woman identified as Maankanwar, and the boatman, Suresh, managed to swim to safety and were rescued by passers-by.

The search operation was called off at 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday, in accordance with standard operating procedures (SOPs), and resumed at 5.30 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr. Mishra said. The two recovered bodies were found close to each other, about 200 to 300 metres from the site of the accident, he said, adding that they had been sent to a mortuary for post-mortem.

Authorities confirmed the search for the two cousins remained active in the nearby waters, as SDRF and NDRF teams continued their rescue efforts. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and State Education Minister Madan Dilawar also visited the spot on Tuesday night and supervised the search operation.

Officials said 10-12 locations along the Chambal ghats and canals had been identified for idol immersion, with rescue teams deployed and safety and security arrangements put in place at these sites. However, Tuesday’s incident occurred in an area where idol immersion was prohibited, despite the deployment of rescue teams, officials added.