Thekkady (Kerala):
Rescuers have been able to fish out five more bodies from the
Thekkady lake, taking the death toll from Wednesday's boat tragedy to 40. The operations
were continuing even on Thursday evening to fish out bodies of the remaining missing
persons. Indian Navy's Kochi based Southern Naval Command has pressed the service of
expert divers and helicopters for salvage and rescue operations. A 40-member Navy diving
team led by Commander Deepak Bhatia has so far recovered five bodies from the
Periyar reservoir. The Naval team equipped with specialist equipment comprises
of marine medical specialists in addition to the divers. Kochi-based Naval Air
Station INS Garuda has launched three air sorties since Thursday morning in addition
to the sortie by the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile,
Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Achuthanandan informed reporters that a sitting judge of the Kerala High Court would
conduct the probe. He announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the next of kin
of the deceased and said state authorities will ensure that bodies were handed over
quickly back to the families of the victims. Among the deceased identified so
far were nine each from Tamil Nadu and Delhi, six from West Bengal, four from
Andhra Pradesh, three from Karnataka, one from Punjab, officials said.
The tragedy 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 evening.
According to Kerala Government sources, a team of experienced divers extricated
36 bodies from the partly submerged boat. The toll is likely to go up as some
more people are yet to be traced, sources added.
