Two hours after a country boat capsized in Vembanad Lake at Murinjapuzha in Chempu, a team of police and three units of the fire force are searching for the missing person. The boat, which was carrying approximately 30 people, capsized on Monday. Scuba teams from Vaikom, Kottayam, and Cherthala are currently involved in the rescue operation.

According to sources, many passengers swam ashore to Naduthuruthu. Locals identified the missing person as Kannan (42), a native of Panavally. The remaining passengers were taken to the Vaikom Government Hospital for first aid.

The group had been returning home after attending a funeral at Kattikunnu in Chempu gram panchayat. The accident occurred when they took a privately owned rowing boat to Perumpalam and Panavally. Local residents reported that strong winds and overcrowding may have caused the boat to capsize.

Raju, a resident of the area, said he heard women shouting that a boat was overturning in the backwaters. “We are not sure what happened. There was strong wind and undercurrent in the area. We saw a few people trying to hold onto the boat, but it’s not clear whether some of them managed to swim ashore safely,” he said.

Fire force and police officials confirmed that they received an alert and deployed a rescue team to the site. According to panchayat authorities, local residents attempted to rescue the passengers using smaller boats immediately after the mishap.