22 killed as tourist boat sinks near Kerala beach

At least 22 people, including seven children, were killed when a double-decker tourist boat sank near a beach in Kerala’s Malappuram district on Sunday evening, according to information provided by the state government.

The incident took place around 7 pm near Tuvalthiram beach in the Tanur area of the district. The boat is reported to have been overloaded as there were 40 passengers on board with tickets and several others without tickets as well. There were several children among the passengers.

The boat was also sailing late in the evening after the 5 pm deadline. Rescue operations were hampered due to the darkness.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel are engaged in the rescue work. Underwater cameras are being used to track down those who are still missing.

The owner of the boat has been booked for culpable homicide, the police said. Investigations are on to ascertain the exact cause of the tragedy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and announced a compensation of ₹ 2 lakh to the families of each victim.

“Pained by the loss of lives due to the boat mishap in Malappuram, Kerala. Condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of ₹ 2 lakh from PMNRF (Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund) would be provided to the next of kin of each deceased,” the Prime Minister’s office tweeted Sunday evening.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that he will visit the site today and directed Malappuram district collector to immediately carry out an emergency rescue operation. Police, fire and health officials along with locals from Tanur were engaged in the rescue work.

The Chief Minister also announced that Monday has been declared as a day of mourning with all government events postponed as a mark of respect to the victims.