Navy Regrets Wular Lake Incident; Rs 20 lakh ex-gratia relief

New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) Deeply regretting the drowning of 21 school children and a teacher in the Wular Lake last evening, the Navy today announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 20 lakh to the bereaved families.

A Navy spokesman here said Chief of Personnel Vice Admiral NK Verma had been deputed, on behalf of Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash, to call on Jammu&Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to offer condolences and hand over the cheque for Rs 20 lakh for disbursement to the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said the state government and the Indian Army had ordered a judicial enquiry and a Court of Inquiry, respectively, to investigate the incident.

The Indian Navy would provide all assistance towards expeditious investigation and suitable disciplinary action will be initiated against those found responsible for the accident, the spokesman added.

Recalling the incident, the spokesman said a detachment of Naval Marine Commandos is deployed at Wular Lake, 51 kms from Srinagar, to assist the Army in counter-insurgency operations in the Valley.

Preliminary investigations indicated that a group of teachers and school children, of a private primary school at Handwara, approached the sailors on duty at the post and requested for a boat ride in an Assault Boat -- which has a capacity to carry 16 fully- equipped combat troops plus two crewmembers.

The school children along with their teachers embarked on the Assault Boat which capsized after covering a distance of some 50 to 60 meters from the launch point. The sailors in the Assault Boat were able to rescue one teacher and 11 children only -- the rest unfortunately drowned.

UNI DG VD ND1520