Local residents search for victims of a country-made craft capsize in Kadukuzhi backwaters near Ponnani on Tuesday. Ponnani: A country fishing craft carrying a group of children on a pleasure trip capsized, drowning six of them in Kadukuzhi backwaters near here in Malappuram district on Tuesday, the police said.
Most of the children were relatives and neighbors and had come here for a vacation when the tragedy struck them at Changrakkulam in the evening.
A total of nine persons were onboard the small craft for a pleasure trip in the backwaters.
Two children and the boat's oarsman, Velayudhan of Mappilakkal, have been rescued by police and local people. They have been hospitalised, Ponnani circle inspector Sunny Chacko told PTI.
The bodies of four girls and two boys, aged between four and 18, had been recovered, police said.
The deceased have been identified as Praseena, 12, Adidev, 4, Vaishnav, 15, Pooja, 15 and Jeneesha, 8.
Education minister C Raveendranath, assembly speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, Malappuram district collector Amit Meena and senior police officials visited the spot.
The State Human Rights Commission has suo motu registered a case and ordered a probe into the incident.
People gather on the premises of a hospital in Changrakkulam as bodies of the victims are brought there. A press release issued by the commission said the district collector and police chief had been asked to file a report within three weeks. Sreeramakrishnan, who represents the Ponnani constituency, in a statement condoled the death of the children and said the incident was very painful.
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