Vijayawada boat tragedy: 7 arrested including director of company

The Vijayawada police on Thursday arrested seven people, including the director of the boat club company in connection with Vijayawada boat accident case. Around 20 people were killed after a boat carrying over 35-40 people capsized at Pavitra Sangamam ghat in river Krishna on Sunday.

The arrested accused has been identified as Kondala Rao, Neelam Seshagiri Rao, Manoj Kumar, Vijaya Saradhi, boat crew member Karri Bhairava and APTDC boat driver Gedela Srinu, whose wife Lakshmi was also held.

The boat belonged to a private agency Simple Water Sports. The boat was said to be overloaded and the buoyancy of water changed at the Pavitra Sangham which led to the imbalance.

The boat was carrying 38 passengers as against its capacity of 24. Among them, 20 passengers were rescued and brought ashore with the help of trained swimmers and local fishermen.

The tourists were travelling from Bhavani Island to Pavitra Sangham near Vijayawada when the mishap occurred.

Meanwhile, the Government had announced an ex gratia of Rs 8 lakh to each of the families of the deceased.

OneIndia News