41 dead in boat mishap; safety rules tossed out

Thekkady: The death toll in the boat mishap at Thekkady Lake in Kerala rose to 41 with rescuers fishing out ten more bodies on Thursday.

Naval divers aided by helicopter resumed search operations on Thursday morning after mist and rains hampered their efforts last night.

A state government ordered a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge into the tragedy.

Among the dead 12 are from Delhi, nine from Tamil Nadu, five from West Bengal, four from Andhra Pradesh and three from Karnataka. The victims from Delhi include ten belonging to three families, who were on a holiday trip to the state.

The double-decker boat sunk in the lake at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki district on Wednesday when tourists allegedly rushed to one side of the vessel to have a glimpse of a herd of elephants, causing it to tip.

Officials said in all 75 tickets had been issued for the cruise which started around 1600 hrs IST. The tragedy took place about 5 km from the boarding point.

Eyewitnesses said no safety measures like life jacket or lifeguard was in place in the boat that sank. Smitha Maurya, who saw the mishap from another boat close by, said there was no life jacket or life guard in the boat.

A tourist from Tamil Nadu, who managed to swim to safety, said the accident took place within half an hour after the cruise began.

"The boat tilted when most of those on board moved to one side to have a better glimpse of animals moving close to the bank. He said the boat sank in the middle of the lake. I don't know how I managed to escape from the capsized boat," he said.

Smitha's husband, Pankaj Maurya, said four to five boats were cruising in the lake at the time of the accident. "We were shocked to see the boat turning to one side and getting submerged. Immediately, we started the rescue operation by throwing air-filled tubes and rope and whatever we could place hands on", he said.

There were no prior instructions on safety aspects by the boat crew before undertaking the journey. All they had said was that no accident had taken place in the lake in the last 50 years, he said.