Tanur tragedy: Driver of boat which capsized and killed 22 in Kerala arrested

The absconding driver of the boat which capsized on May 7 in Kerala’s Malappuram district, killing 22 people has been arrested, police said on Wednesday (May 10).

The man, who was not named, was taken into custody from Tanur, a police officer said.

“He had been absconding after the tragedy. He is now under custody,” a senior police officer told PTI in Malappuram.

Also read: Floating tragedies: How Kerala’s recreational boats flout safety norms, put lives at risk

Murder charges were slapped against the owner of the boat on Tuesday after the police caught him from nearby Kozhikode.

Police are yet to confirm the total number of staff who were in the boat when tragedy struck. But officers have said all of them would be arrested.

Boat tragedy

The boat capsized near an estuary close to the Thoovaltheeram beach in Tanur area at 7.30 pm on Sunday.

Also read: Kerala boat tragedy: More may have escaped disaster if they had spotted danger signs

Officials said 15 of the dead were minors ranging between eight months and 17 years and there were at least 37 persons onboard the vessel.

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday initiated a PIL on its own to probe the violation of rules that led to the boat disaster.

Also read: Kerala boat mishap: Won’t allow tragedy to be forgotten, says HC while initiating PIL

(With inputs from agencies)