Thekkady tragedy: toll mounts to 45

The body of one more missing person in the Thekkady boat accident was recovered on Sunday taking the toll to 45.

The body recovered was that of Abhilash 20, whose sister Apoorva's body was recovered on Saturday. The victims' parents Sunur and his wife, scientists at the Defence Research Organisation, had survived the accident.

The body of Abhilash was traced on Saturday evening by the underwater camera, but could not be recovered owing to unfavorable weather condition.

Meanwhile, the search operation by the Indian Navy was stopped as all the bodies of the missing persons in the accident which happened on Wednesday were recovered.

However, the forest department has deputed guards at the area to trace if any body is resurging from the deep water.

Police and forest officials were camping at the boat-landing station at Thekkady, nearly five kilometre from there at Marakkanam the ill-fated boat `Jala Kanyaka' owned by the Kerala Tourism Department Corporation capsized with 74 tourists on board in the two-decked fibre boat.