11 killed in Sri Lanka boat capsize

The tragedy happened when the vessel was returning from the pilgrimage.

February 19, 2017 06:42 pm | Updated 06:43 pm IST - COLOMBO:

The body of a victim is kept at a hospital ward after a boat capsized in Beruwala, 60 km south of Colombo, in Sri Lanka on February 19, 2017. At least 11 people were killed and 19 others rescued after the vessel they were travelling in capsized off the island nation’s southwestern coast.

The body of a victim is kept at a hospital ward after a boat capsized in Beruwala, 60 km south of Colombo, in Sri Lanka on February 19, 2017. At least 11 people were killed and 19 others rescued after the vessel they were travelling in capsized off the island nation’s southwestern coast.

At least 11 people were killed and 19 others rescued on Sunday in Sri Lanka after the boat they were travelling in capsized off the country’s southwestern coast.

The incident happened in the seas off Kalutara district, about 40 km south of capital Colombo, police said.

The boat was part of a religious festival procession from the fishing town of Beruwala to a site close by. The tragedy happened when the boat was returning from the pilgrimage.

At least 11 people were killed and 19 others have been admitted to a hospital after being rescued, police added.

A search is on for other survivors with the help of navy and air force, reports said.

Not known how many on it

Authorities were still trying to ascertain the number of people travelling on the vessel.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.