Boat capsizes in AP; at least 14 dead
A boat loaded with tourists capsized in the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh this evening, killing at least 14 people. The boat, which belonged to a private tourism company, had 34 people on board. The incident took place at around 5.45 pm near Vijayawada, around 275km from Hyderabad.
Rescue operations are already underway
A search for the survivors is already on, said the police. Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force comprising 30 people each, and a 45-man team from the State Disaster Relief Force, have already been deployed. The person in charge of rescue operations, Deputy Chief Minister N Chinarajappa, has asked the police to immediately involve additional forces to help with the rescue operations.
Political responses to the tragedy
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy, and other political leaders expressed their grief regarding the tragedy.
Status of rescue operations
So far, 20 people have been rescued and 11 bodies recovered. The tourists, who had rented the boat from Simple Water Tours, were on their way from Bhavani Island to Pavitra Sangham near Vijayawada when the mishap happened. Survivors also said that there were no life jackets aboard the boat, which is in total violation of safety guidelines pertaining to tourism boating.
