| Monday, January 22, 2007 |
| AP boat disaster: No bodies fished out yet |
Even two days after the sinking of the country-boat in the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh, the rescue teams have failed to fish out any of the 64 suspected victims.
It is feared that 64 persons, including 16 women and 18 children, drowned when the overloaded boat carrying them capsized in the river at Manchalakatta in Mahaboobnagar district on Thursday.
A helicopter has been pressed into service for an aerial survey to help trace the bodies.
Even as efforts to search the bodies with the help of expert divers and local fishermen are on, the ill-fated boat floated about 3 km away from the accident spot on Saturday morning, officials said.
The boat, with a sanctioned capacity of 35 persons, was carrying 80 pilgrims who were on their way to Singotam in Mahaboobnagar district.
The passengers were on their way to participate in a religious gathering when it sank in the river, where water was about 120 feet to 140 feet deep.
Sixteen people swam to safety, while all others are feared drowned. All the victims belonged to Kurnool district.Labels: Society |
| posted by a correspondent @ 3:31 AM |
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