World | India
Another boat tragedy raises fresh concerns in Kerala
Second accident in little over a month claims the lives of eight students and could impact tourism business
- By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 November 6, 2009
Thiruvananthapuram: A second boat tragedy in Kerala in little over a month, this time claiming the lives of eight higher secondary school children, has raised fresh concerns about commuting on the state's waterways.
The incidents could also impact the tourism sector.
The children, including a girl, drowned in Areekode in Malappuram district on Wednesday evening when the country boat in which they were crossing the Chaliyar river on their way back from school capsized.
Prompt rescue operations launched by local villagers reduced the death toll significantly while some students swam to safety.
The students killed in the Areekode tragedy have been identified as Suhail, Shihab, Siraj, Shahidali, Shameem, Taufiq, Mohammad Mufti, and the girl, Taiba.
All of them were higher secondary school students in the 16-18 age group.
The entire village wore a despondent look yesterday as their bodies were taken for post-mortem ahead of the funeral ceremonies. A holiday was declared in schools in the educational district in the backdrop of the tragedy.
Lack of a bridge
The students were reportedly using the boat trip every day because of the lack of a bridge across the Chaliyar at Areekode. Travelling by bus is a circuitous route for students of Areekode as they have to take two buses and endure a lengthy journey to reach school.
Following the incident, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has announced that a bridge would be constructed at Areekode, and that a meeting would be held to discuss how such incidents can be prevented in future.
Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran said the government would conduct a survey of the different ferries where school students were taking boat trips on a regular basis. The compensation for the families of the victims of Wednesday's tragedy is expected to be decided by the state cabinet at its next weekly meeting.
The tragic incident comes after the September 30 boat tragedy at Thekkady when as many as 45 tourists lost their lives when a boat owned by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation capsized. Inquiry into that tragedy is under way.
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