India boat mishap: 12 dead, others missing

A tourist boat carrying over 60 persons in Andhra Pradesh, a state in India, has capsized in the Godavari River.

The police while confirming the story, said the boat which was on its way to a popular tourist spot in the southern state on Sunday, collided with a large rock.

At least 12 people have died and more than 20 are missing.

Rescue authorities have safely evacuated 26 people and are still searching for bodies in the river.

Reacting to this, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi took to Twitter to express his condolences to the victims.

He wrote, ‘’extremely pained by the capsizing of a boat in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Rescue operations are currently underway at the site of the tragedy.’’

Meanwhile, India’s tourism minister, ‎Prahlad Singh Patel‎, stated that the tourist boat had been operating without a licence.

According to him, Boats in India are often overloaded, and lax safety standards mean accidents are common.

One of the survivors, Madhavilatha, told BBC that she survived the accident but her husband and child did not.

The state’s chief minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, has directed officials to suspend all boating services in the region immediately.