Tanur: Kerala witnessed one of the most tragic boat mishaps in its history after a tourist boat overturned killing 22 people including seven children at Tanur, Malappuram, on Sunday evening.
The National Disaster Response Force and Fire Force personnel, deployed for the search and rescue, will end their operations on Monday, Kerala Fire and Rescue Services DGP B Sandhya said as 'all the people in the boat have been found'.
There was talk of an eight-year-old 'who had gone missing'. Later, the family said they had found the boy injured and admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College.
That no one has been reported missing since last night is a relief, said Revenue Minister K Rajan said: "We have received details of 37 people who were on the boat. Ten people, who have been admitted to various hospitals including in Kozhikode, have also been found. It has been confirmed that five people swam to safety," the minister said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced that a judicial commission including technical experts would probe the accident.
“The experts in the team will examine matters related to the operation of boats, their fitness and so on. A Special Investigation Team of the police department will also investigate the tragedy,” he said.
The Chief Minister declared an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased. He added that the government will bear the medical expense of the injured.
It has been officially confirmed that 22 people have died in the disaster. Eleven of them are members of one family.