NEW DELHI—A double-decker boat carrying more than 30 passengers overturned off a beach in southern India on Sunday night, killing more than 22 people, including children, according to officials.
According to police officer Abdul Nazar, the rescue workers expected to retrieve more dead from the boat after hauling it ashore from the murky seas. He stated that officials from India's National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard were involved in rescue efforts and searching for those who remained missing.
The tourist boat capsized at the Poorappuzha River's estuary in Tanur, a coastal town in Kerala's Malappuram district, with the majority of the passengers being tourists. Authorities were examining the reason of the disaster, according to Nazar, and it looked that the boat capsized owing to overcrowding.
Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman informed the Press Trust of India news agency that the fatalities included youngsters who had gone for a trip on the boat during their school holiday, and that four individuals in serious condition had been brought to a hospital.
The state's chief minister expressed his sympathies to the victims' families on Twitter and encouraged district officials to monitor the rescue.
Monday has been designated as an official day of mourning, according to PTI, citing a government announcement.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his "pain" at the loss of life and provided compensation to the victims' families.
In India, where many vessels are overloaded and lack proper safety measures, boating accidents are widespread.
Twelve persons died in September 2020 when a tour boat capsized on the overflowing Godavari River in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. In May 2018, a boat capsized in the same area, killing 30 passengers.
