Twenty-five drown as tourist boat sinks in Kerala

In the worst tourism tragedy in Kerala, at least 25 persons died when a state-run double-deck boat carrying 74 tourists capsized today in the famous Thekkady Lake in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki district.

Forty persons were rescued after the recently launched Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) boat sank after cruising five km from the boarding point in Thekkady from where it had set out around 4 PM. Some of them were in a critical condition. Thekkady is about 150 km from Kochi.

According to eyewitnesses, the tragedy occured when the ill-fated boat tilted after several tourists moved to one side on sighting elephants in the wildlife sanctuary on the banks of the lake. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals in Periyar.

The tourists were mainly from outside Kerala with a majority of them reported to be from neighbouring Karnataka. Unconfirmed reports said a male foreigner whose nationality was not immediately known was among the victims.

District collector Ashok Kumar Sinha said bodies of 25 persons have been recovered and the toll may go up. The victims included 11 women and six children, Idukki superintendent of police Kuttapayi said.

The tourists on "Jalakanyaka" boat were on a trip to have glimpses of wildlife in forests bordering either side of the lake, located in Thekkady, home to India's largest wildlife sanctuary Periyar.

Besides state forces, a team of 40-50 navy divers have been rushed to the spot from the southern naval command at Kochi, 150 km from Thekkady lake, naval sources said. naval helicopters were also pressed into service. Rescue operations were hampered because darkness had set in.

Today's mishap is one of the major boat tragedies in the state after the capsize of a boat carrying school children at Thattekkad bird sanctuary in Ernakulam district a few years
back. The tragedy claimed 22 lives, most of them primary students.

Official sources said the possibility of foreign tourists being among the victims could not be ruled out. Top police officials said several boats with rescue guards and generators for providing light had been sent to the spot where the boat sank, they said.

Expressing shock over the tragedy, defence minister A K Antony said from New Delhi that navy and other forces had been instructed to render all possible help in the rescue
work.