Imagine being on a boat ride with your loved ones, enjoying the scenery and the music, when suddenly the wind picks up and the boat starts taking on water. That's what happened on a recent cruise at Bargi Dam in India, where 11 people lost their lives.

The captain of the boat, Mahesh Patel, has apologized to the families of the victims, but he's also sticking to his claim that the tragedy was an 'act of nature'. However, his own account of what happened raises some serious questions about safety. Here's what he said in an interview.

The boat was carrying 43 people, including crew members, when it departed from the dock. The weather was fine at first, but as soon as they reached the middle of the lake, strong winds began to blow. Patel said he immediately turned the boat around, but the storm intensified rapidly, and the boat started taking on water.

One of the biggest safety concerns was that life jackets were not worn by passengers at the start of the journey. Patel said that people often refuse to wear them, and on this particular day, they were dancing and not wearing them. This is a big problem, especially in situations where the weather can change quickly.

Another issue was that the crew was short-staffed. Patel said that they typically have three crew members, but on this day, it was just him and one assistant. This meant that they were unable to respond quickly enough to the emergency.

The Madhya Pradesh government has since terminated Patel and other staff, and a high-level probe has been ordered. The incident has raised some serious questions about safety on the water, and it's clear that something needs to change.

Patel's apology to the families of the victims is heartfelt, but it's hard to shake the feeling that there's more to the story than he's letting on. Was the tragedy really just an 'act of nature', or were there some serious safety lapses that contributed to the disaster?

Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: the families of the victims deserve answers, and the government needs to take action to ensure that this kind of tragedy never happens again.