The death toll in the tourist boat accident near the Thoovaltheeram beach in Kerala’s Tanur area has risen to 22, with eight people who were rescued after the boat capsized on Sunday evening undergoing treatment at various hospitals, district officials said.
The boat, which was carrying more than 30 people, capsized near an estuary close to the Thoovaltheeram beach in the Tanur area around 7.30pm.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Coast Guard teams have reached the spot and a search operation for the missing persons is underway, the officials said.
A senior district official told news agency PTI that all the 22 people whose bodies have been recovered have been identified. “We have requested the help of all agencies. NDRF and Coast Guard teams have already reached the spot. We have also sought the Navy’s help,” the official said.
The exact number of people in the capsized vessel is yet to be ascertained, the official added. The state government announced a day of mourning on Monday and canceled all official events as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives in the accident.
Boat tragedies in India are not new, given that the mode of transportation is often used in remote areas as well as for tourism. News18 takes a look at previous incidents where people lost their lives in boat accidents across the country:
September 5, 2022:
A boat carrying 55 people sank in the Ganga River in Danapur, near Patna. The incident took place when some labourers were returning from work.
September 8, 2021:
One woman died and several others were missing after their private motorised country boat going from Majuli Island to Nimatighat in Assam’s Jorhat district sank in the Brahmaputra after being hit by a bigger ferry coming from the opposite direction.
September 15, 2019:
At least 12 people drowned and dozens went missing after a sightseeing boat capsized on a swollen river in Andhra Pradesh. The Royal Vasishta was carrying 61 people – 50 passengers and 11 crew members – when it capsized on the Godavari River.
January 14, 2017:
At least 23 people were killed and seven others injured when a boat carrying 40 people back from a state government-organised kite festival capsized in the Ganga in Patna.
August 14, 2016:
Five Indian fishermen died and 20 were reported missing after their boats, which had drifted away into Bangladeshi waters during a cyclonic storm, capsized in the rough seas, reported Hindustan Times.
May 14, 2016:
Minutes after it set sail from Kalna in Burdwan district towards Shantipur in Nadia, an overloaded boat capsized, leading to 19 deaths.
September 28, 2015:
More than 50 people were feared dead after a jam-packed machine boat with about 250 to 300 people capsized in Kolohi River in Assam’s Kamrup (rural) district.
November 7, 2014:
Nine children were among 10 feared drowned after a boat capsized in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district.
February 9, 2014:
At least 11 people, including women and children, were killed and several others went missing after a motor boat carrying about 120 passengers capsized in the reservoir of the Hirakud Dam in Odisha.
April 30, 2012:
A storm in the Brahmaputra River caused an overloaded ferry to break in half and sink in Assam. Over 200 people died in the tragedy.
June 2011:
Nearly 40 people drowned when a boat carrying about 50 people capsized in the river Ganga.
June 14, 2010:
More than 75 people were feared dead when an overcrowded boat ferrying around 100 passengers capsized in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district.
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