At least four people have died, and more than a dozen are still missing after a tragic boat accident in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district, officials said on Thursday.

The incident took place when a cruise boat carrying around 35 to 40 passengers overturned in a river stretch near the city. The sudden mishap triggered panic among those on board, with several people falling into the water.

Local residents and authorities rushed to the spot immediately after the accident was reported. Rescue teams, along with police and disaster response personnel, have been carrying out search and rescue operations since then.

So far, four bodies have been recovered from the river. However, over a dozen passengers are still unaccounted for, raising fears that the death toll could rise further.

Several others were rescued from the water and shifted to safety. Officials said efforts are ongoing to trace the missing persons, even as challenging conditions in the river are slowing down operations.

The exact reason behind the boat overturning is still not confirmed. Preliminary inputs suggest that overcrowding could be one of the possible causes, but authorities have not issued an official statement on the cause yet.