The boat tragedies that shook Kerala

Kerala, Aug 27: The boat mishap at Fort Kochi on Wednesday claimed eight lives. Over 200 lives are claimed by small and big boat mishaps in Kerala in the past few decades.

It was in 1924 that the first boat tragedy in Kerala was reported. 24 persons were killed when a boat sank at Palana on its way from Kollam to Kottayam. Kerala's great poet Kumaran Asan was one among the deceased.

The boat mishap in Kannamaly in 1980 claimed the life of 30 persons. 18 persons died in Vallarpadam in 1983.

Four tourists from Tamil Nadu died when a house-boat overturned in Alapuzha backwaters in 2013.

The boat tragedy, which marked the highest death toll, happened in Thekkady in 2009. 45 people were killed in the Thekkady boat tragedy.

Thekkady tragedy

The Thekkady boat tragedy occurred when a double-decker passenger boat Jalakanyaka sank in Lake Thekkady, Periyar National Park. The boat capsized and 45 tourists died.

The reason for the accident was overload. The boat had capacity to carry only 75 people. But the boat was overcrowded with 87 persons. No safety measures were provided to the passengers.

Later in an enquiry by the Justice E Maitheenkunju Commission, it was found that the top officials of the Tourism Department and KTDC were at faults for the tragedy.

Kumarakom tragedy

On July 27, 2002, Kumarakom, a popular tourist destination in Kerala witnessed a boat tragedy. The boat, which was owned by the Water Transport Department, met with the accident resulting in the death of 29 passengers.

Thattekkad boat mishap

This was one of the most painful boat tragedies happened in Kerala. On Feb 20, 2007, 18 people, including three teachers, 15 students were killed in the mishap.

The group had gone for a school picnic. The boat capsised at Periyar Lake at Thattekkad.

The tragedy occurred when water leaked into their boat, causing it to overturn. The boat, which was the cause of the accident, needed repair and was overloaded.

OneIndia News