Boat capsizes in Kota's Chambal canal during Durga immersion, 4 children feared drowned
Synopsis
A small wooden boat carrying seven people — including four children — capsized in Kota's Chambal canal during Durga idol immersion on Tuesday evening. Three survived by swimming to safety; Keshu, Golu, Suresh, and Rahul remain missing as SDRF and NDRF teams search the waterway, with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla personally urging officials to act with urgency.
Key Takeaways
A boat capsized in the Chambal river's right main canal in Kota, Rajasthan on 20 October 2026 during Durga idol immersion.
Four children — Keshu , Golu , Suresh , and Rahul — are feared drowned after being swept away by the current.
Mala Kanwar , Deepak , and the boatman survived by swimming to safety.
SDRF , NDRF , Municipal Corporation teams, and local divers are conducting the search using three boats .
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed sorrow and directed the administration to intensify rescue efforts.
Senior officials including District Collector Piyush Samariya and Cabinet Minister Madan Dilawar arrived at the site to oversee operations.
Four children are feared drowned after a boat capsized in the Chambal river's right main canal near the steel bridge on an 80-feet road in Kota district, Rajasthan, on Tuesday evening, 20 October 2026, during the Durga idol immersion. Three others, including the boatman, managed to swim to safety, while a large-scale search operation remains underway to locate the missing children.
What Happened
According to officials, the group had travelled from the Sanjay Nagar area of Vigyan Nagar to immerse a Durga idol in the canal. Seven people in total boarded a small wooden boat, with three seated on each side and the idol placed in the centre. The boat capsized midway through the canal, throwing all occupants into the water.
The incident occurred in the Borkheda police station area, triggering immediate panic at the site. Mala Kanwar, Deepak, and the boatman reportedly managed to swim to safety. The four missing children have been identified as Keshu, Golu, Suresh, and Rahul, and were reportedly swept away by a strong current.
Rescue Operation Under Way
Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Municipal Corporation, and local divers have been deployed to search the canal. Three boats are being used in the rescue effort, and personnel are conducting an extensive sweep of the waterway.
Senior officials — including District Collector Piyush Samariya, City Superintendent of Police Tejaswini Gautam, Cabinet Minister Madan Dilawar, and Additional District Magistrate Ravi Verma — reached the site to personally monitor the operation alongside police and administrative teams.
Lok Sabha Speaker Responds
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed deep sorrow over the incident and directed the administration to intensify search and rescue efforts. He urged officials to act with the utmost urgency and expressed hope that the missing children would be found safe. Birla also extended condolences to the affected families.
Impact on Families and the Site
Relatives of the missing children rushed to the site after receiving news of the accident and were seen anxiously searching for their loved ones. A large crowd gathered along the canal bank as rescue personnel continued operations. The incident has left the affected families devastated.
This comes amid the peak of Navratri idol immersion activities across Rajasthan, when crowded riverbanks and overloaded boats heighten the risk of such tragedies. Officials have confirmed that the administration's immediate priority remains locating the four missing children, with the search operation continuing.
Point of View
Overcrowded and structurally inadequate boats are pressed into service for idol immersions with little or no safety oversight. The fact that a small wooden boat was carrying seven people — with a heavy idol placed at its centre, shifting the load — points to a systemic failure of pre-event regulation rather than a freak accident. Rajasthan and other states routinely issue advisories after such incidents but rarely enforce capacity limits before them. Until local administrations treat immersion logistics as an active safety operation rather than a ceremonial one, the annual toll will continue to rise.
NationPress
21 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Kota during the Durga idol immersion on 20 October 2026?
A small wooden boat carrying seven people capsized in the Chambal river's right main canal in Kota, Rajasthan, on the evening of 20 October 2026. The group was attempting to immerse a Durga idol when the boat overturned mid-canal, sweeping four children into the water.
Who are the four missing children from the Kota boat accident?
The four missing children have been identified as Keshu, Golu, Suresh, and Rahul. They were reportedly swept away by a strong current after the boat capsized, and rescue teams are actively searching the canal for them.
Which agencies are conducting the rescue operation in Kota?
Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Municipal Corporation, and local divers have been deployed. Three boats are being used in the search operation, which is being monitored by senior district officials.
What did Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla say about the Kota boat accident?
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed deep sorrow over the incident and directed the administration to intensify search and rescue efforts. He urged officials to act with the utmost urgency and extended condolences to the affected families.
Where exactly did the boat capsize in Kota?
The boat capsized in the Chambal river's right main canal near the steel bridge on an 80-feet road in Kota district, within the Borkheda police station area. The group had come from the Sanjay Nagar locality of Vigyan Nagar to perform the immersion.
