22 Drown As Overloaded Tourist Boat Sinks in Kerala
A tourist boat capsized in Kerela near Tanur town. 22 people had drowned. Here’s the full story of the tragic incident.
On 7th May 2023, in Kerala’s Malappuram district’s Tanur town, a double-decker tourist boat capsized near the Thooval Theeram beach.
The incident occurred at around 7.30 pm. 22 people drowned in the accident and their bodies have been recovered and identified. 15 of them were females and 7 males including children. Local news sources reported that 11 people from one family, including three children, had died. 10 people were rescued and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, however, 4 of them are serious.
Since it was a Sunday during the summer holidays, many of the passengers were children. While passengers in the upper deck of the boat managed to jump in the water and swim to safety when it capsized, those in the lower deck got trapped inside as its doors were closed. Survivors said that the boat was overcrowded and it overturned and that most of the passengers did not have safety life jackets.
According to local authorities, the boat, operated by a private company, did not have permission to enter the waters after sunset but the operators continued the service as there was heavy rush of visitors in the evening. The operators were asking more people to join saying it was the last trip of the day. There were around 35-40 passengers when the boat capsized however the exact number is not known. Local residents said the cruise service had only been launched last month and lacked safety measures. One man said he and his brother had decided not to go on the cruise because the boat looked too crowded.
Initially, local people and fishermen were engaged in the rescue operations, which was later taken over by the police, health, fire rescue departments like National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Coast Guard teams. By around 10.30 PM, rescue workers were able to haul the boat on to the land using ropes and bodies were recovered from the boat as well. The state government declared an official mourning on 8th May for the victims, and cancelled all official functions for the day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Pained by the loss of lives due to the boat mishap in Malappuram, Kerala. Condolences to the bereaved families. PM Modi announced an ex-gratia of ?2 lakh to the next of kin of each victim.
The Kerala government announced a judicial probe into the matter and also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased. The police have now taken the owner of the boat into custody. The owner of the boat, identified as Nazar, was nabbed from Kozhikode. Tanur Police had registered a case against the owner of the boat, which reportedly did not have a license to function. The owner was absconding since the accident. The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) intervened and has directed the Malappuram District Collector to submit a report within 10 days.
