A boat carrying students and teachers on a school picnic at Harni Lake, Vadodara, a major city in Gujarat, India, capsized on Thursday, January 18, 2024, resulting in the death of 12 students and two teachers.
The fire service officials reported that the boat, which was part of a private school outing, flipped over in the lake. Although at least 11 students were rescued, there were many fatalities.
Vadodara fire officer, Jitu Parmar, confirmed the search for a missing individual is ongoing, and an investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat’s Chief Minister, conveyed his deep condolences, labeling the incident as “extremely distressing.” The accident has significantly impacted the local community and beyond.
This occurrence underscores a persistent issue in India: the insufficient safety measures in place on many boats.
The boat was heavily overloaded, with the Hindustan Times reporting over 31 people on board, exceeding its maximum capacity of 14. The incident led to the arrest of several individuals from the boating facility and project managers who developed the lake destination for safety violations.
Notably, only seven or eight of the passengers were wearing life jackets; they were among those who survived. This oversight has contributed to previous accidents, such as in May of the preceding year, when a double-decker boat with more than 30 passengers flipped over in the state of Kerala, leading to 22 deaths.
In a similar incident in May 2018, a boat capsized on the swollen Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, resulting in 30 fatalities.
The investigation is focusing on overcrowding and the lack of life jackets as the main factors leading to the accident. Legal proceedings have been initiated against the boat operators, Sri Kotiya Project, under charges of culpable homicide.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, financial compensation for the families of the victims has been announced by Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. An inquiry has been ordered to examine the roles of the school authorities and boat operators in the accident.
