Capsized boat leaves at least 22 dead in India, mostly schoolchildren

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Following the capsize of a double-decker tourist boat, the Indian city of Tanur in the southern state of Kerala recorded the death of at least 22 people, as a result of it being overcrowded, according to Abdul Nazar, Malappuram district’s junior superintendent of police.

Kerala’s minister for fisheries and harbor development, V Abdurahiman, confirmed that most of the victims were schoolchildren on holiday. However, the death toll is expected to rise since the capsized boat was stuck in muddy water and the boat had to be pulled out to rescue the trapped people.

Ropes were used to stabilize and pull out the partially submerged boat by rescue teams while others jumped in the water to look inside the boat's windows for survivors.

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An officer from the Tanur police station said, “We have recovered 22 bodies, including 15 females and seven males,” adding, “There are around six people in the hospital. Rescue operations are on.”

Per reports, the number of people aboard ranged between 30 and 40, as local publication Onmanorama claimed that 11 people from one family, including three children, had perished.

Four people were transferred to the hospital in critical condition, the PTI news agency said citing Abdurahiman, while survivors told the media that many of those aboard were not wearing life jackets.

PTI then relayed a government statement declaring Monday a day of official mourning.

In a tweet, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, expressed that he was “pained by the loss of lives” and announced an intended compensation for the victims’ families.

Pained by the loss of lives due to the boat mishap in Malappuram, Kerala. Condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be provided to the next of kin of each deceased: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 7, 2023

Boating, transport, and infrastructure incidents are frequent occurrences in India, due to overcrowding and inadequate safety equipment.

In March, the death toll from the floor collapse at a Hindu temple in India reached 35 after the floor collapsed under dozens of worshippers commemorating a religious holiday.

Back in October, after a suspension bridge on Sunday collapsed in India's state of Gujarat, a local official confirmed that the majority of casualties - amounting to 141 - were women, children, and elderly people. 

In June, at least 22 people died after a bus in a mountainous region in northern India fell into a gorge.