Thirteen people, including seven women and six children, drowned when the boat in which they were travelling capsized in the Gulf of Mannar off Ramanathapuram on Sunday. They were part of a group of 60 people, all relatives from Periyapattinam, headed to Appa Theevu for a picnic. Incidentally, the island is prohibited to public. Ramanathapuram superintendent of police Pradip Kumar said the group travelled in two fishing boats belonging to Ayub Khan and Rasuldheen. S.
Salimullahkhan of TMMK said the picnic was planned as a celebration for a family who arrived from Australia. Ibnu, a native of Periyapattinam, had come with his wife Barakath and two daughters, Aleema Beevi and Nadhiraajaan, from Australia to attend a relative’s wedding. The family split into two groups, and all women and children, most of them girls, went in one boat while the men travelled in another boat.
“The boat in which women and children travelled lost balance and capsized, as the occupants panicked because the sea was turbulent and the velocity of winds was high,” said the SP. “The tragedy occurred a kilometre before the island.”
The men in the other boat informed the locals and fishermen and divers rushed to the sea. They saved five and retrieved the bodies of 13, which included two boys and four girls. Ibnu’s wife and two daughters were among those dead. A search is on for 11 more.
“Since the people are traumatised, a detailed enquiry has not been conducted,” said the SP. “Only an accident case has been registered as of now.”
Local people alleged that there were a large number of deaths in the boat tragedy at Ramanathapuram because rescue teams arrived late.
Irked over the delay, people picketed Ramanathapuram MLA Hasan Ali, who arrived at the spot to oversee the rescue operation. Unable to pacify the angry public, he left in a huff.
“Had rescue teams arrived as soon as they got the information, a few more lives could have been saved,” said A.Syed Sadik of Periyapattinam.