Several killed as boat capsizes in India
September 15, 2019
At least eight people drowned and nearly 40 people were missing after a sightseeing boat capsized in India on Sunday, according to police.
The Royal Vashishta vessel had more than 70 people on board when the accident occurred in the Godavari river, near India's east coast.
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The cause of the incident was not yet known but the water had been flowing fast for a week, according to local media.
Several other people were rescued and emergency teams have continued to search for more surviving passengers.
Local police on Monday told AFP that 26 of the 73 passengers have been rescued.
Official condolences
The boat was run by the state government and all its passengers were Indian nationals.
On his official Twitter account, Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said he was "deeply saddened to learn about the loss of lives in near Kacchuluru in Devipatnam Mandal of the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh."
India has seen other incidents of this kind in the recent past. Just last Friday, two boats capsized in Bhopal, in central India, resulting in numerous losses of life, and in May 2018, 30 people died when a vessel capsized in the Godavari, not far from the scene of Sunday's tragedy.
jsi/tj (AFP, AP, dpa)