Boat tragedy: search resumes, boat services cancelled

The search operation, which was cancelled on Thursday evening owing to bad weather condition Thekkady, has been resumed on Friday morning.

The Indian Navy team, with the support of police, Fire and Rescue personnel and the Forest Department officials, is conducting the search operation on the belief that more bodies might have trapped beneath the ill-fated boat and in the depth of the Mullaperiyar lake.

On Friday morning also the rain and wind hindered the search operations.

District Collector Ashok Kumar Singh visited the Manakkavala area in the Mullaperiyar lake where the ill-fated boat `Jalakanyka' capsized killing 41 tourists on Tuesday evening. The collector will submit a report to the government on the circumstances which led to the accident.

The boat services for tourists in the Mullaperiyar lake in Thekkady has been cancelled in wake of the boat tragedy on Tuesday. The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation and Forest Department together own seven boats for conducting tourist services in Thekkady.

Meanwhile, the boat services at Mattupetty in Munnar was also cancelled for a day on Thursday owing to bad weather condition. Many tourists from Thekkady had reached Mattupetty lake for the boat trip in the wake of the accident, however, due to heavy rain and wind, the services were cancelled. Though, the weather condition improved in the afternoon, the services remained cancelled as a mark of respect for the victims of Thekkady boat tragedy.