9 drown, many injured in sea, as joy ride on boat turns tragic

At least nine people were drowned and many others rescued and admitted to hospital, when the fishing boat in which they went for a joy ride capsized in the sea off Manappadu near Tiruchendur in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday evening.

According to a government official, rescue operations were underway. The incident occurred near Manappadu area of Tuticorin. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

“Nine persons lost their lives and 19 were rescued when a boat capsized off Manapadu coast. Three families from Tiruchendur seems to have booked the boat,” District Collector M. Ravi Kumar said.

Those rescued were admitted to private and government hospitals in the district, he said.

Asked about reports that boat was carrying people in excess of its capacity, Kumar said only a detailed probe would throw light on it, as also on the reasons for the capsize.

The victims were identified as A Sundareshwaran (7), V Surendran (10), S Aakash (9), women J Muthulakhsmi, A Usharani, S Murugeshwari, K Suganya and G Muthulakhsmi and M Jeyaraman (42).