At least 22 people, including many children, were killed after a double-decker tourist boat capsized in the southern Indian state of Kerala last Sunday evening.
According to international news, the tourist boat capsized near Tuvalthiram beach in Malappuram around 7:30 p.m. local time. Officials do not know how many people were on board, but estimate the number to be around 35.
Rescuers also found eight people with injuries by the next morning, with four of them in critical condition. CNN reported that on Monday, V.R. Premkumar, a senior official from Malappuram district said 10 people have been admitted to hospital.
A double-decker boat carrying more than 30 tourists capsized off a beach in southern India leaving many dead, including children. Boating accidents are common in India given the lack of safety measures. pic.twitter.com/rPtE5YZBRT
— DW News (@dwnews) May 8, 2023
Some passengers were trapped under the vessel. According to CBS news, a man onboard said that most of the people on the upper deck jumped into the river and swam to safety. The dead included many children who had come for a ride on the boat during their school vacation.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased, announcing compensation from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
