Kerala Boat Tragedy: A tragic incident occurred in the Tanur area of Kerala's Malappuram on Sunday evening when a tourist boat carrying around 30 passengers capsized, resulting in the death of at least 22 people, most of whom were children.
The district administration confirmed the death toll and stated that efforts are underway to bring the capsized boat to the shore.
Late Sunday night, a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and fire service officials arrived at the scene and initiated search and rescue operations to save the victims.
It is suspected that more people may still be trapped under the boat.
As per the police, the incident took place at around 7 PM, however, the exact reason behind the accident is currently unknown.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that families of the victims will receive an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the national relief fund.
In a tweet, PM Modi expressed his sorrow over the tragic boat accident in Malappuram, Kerala that resulted in the loss of lives, and offered his condolences to the affected families.
He also announced that an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be provided to the next of kin of each deceased.
The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, expressed his condolences over the tragic incident and ordered the Malappuram District Collector to coordinate the emergency rescue operation.
According to Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, who is leading the rescue operations with Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas, the majority of those who died were children who were taking a ride during the ongoing school vacation.
