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Kerala boat tragedy: toll reaches 39
The toll in the Thekkady boat mishap climbed to 39 with eight more bodies being fished out today even as the Kerala government ordered a judicial inquiry into the tragedy.
The toll in the Thekkady boat mishap climbed to 39 with eight more bodies being fished out today even as the Kerala government ordered a judicial inquiry into the tragedy.
The mishap occurred when the state-run double decker boat 'Jalakanyaka' carrying 74 tourists tilted after several tourists moved to one side on sighting elephants in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary on the banks of the lake on Wednesday.
A team of rescuers which included divers have extricated 39 bodies from the partly submerged boat, officials said.
The toll may go up as some more people are yet to be traced, they said, adding, the search operation continued in the morning hours.
Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said a judicial inquiry will be conducted into the mishap.
The service of a Kerala High Court sitting judge would be sought for the probe, he told reporters.
He also announced a solatium of Rs five lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and said state authorities will ensure that bodies were transported quickly back to the families of the victims.
Eleven Delhiites, including eight women and a 14-year-old boy, were among those killed in the mishap. The other deceased have been identified as nine from Tamil Nadu, five from West Bengal, four from Andhra Pradesh, three from Karnataka and one from Punjab.
Eyewitnesses said no safety measures like life jacket or life guard were in place in the boat that sank.
