Bodies Of 12 Gujarat Students, 2 Teachers Recovered Day After Boat Tragedy

Twelve students and two teachers drowned after a boat overturned in a lake on the outskirts of Vadodara city in Gujarat on Thursday, officials said.

The students of the New Sunrise School were on a picnic when the tragedy occurred at Harni lake in the afternoon. The visit was organised by the school.

"14 bodies have been recovered from the lake so far," the police said. 

There were 27 persons on board - 23 students and four teachers - when the tragedy occurred.

The boat was carrying much more than its capacity and also no life jackets were provided by the operator, it's learnt. "They were not even given a run-through on the safety guidelines," they said. 

A case has been registered against 18 people for the negligence and three people have been detained so far, officials said.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those who have died.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the tragedy. "The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000," the PM said on X - earlier known as Twitter.

Distressed by the loss of lives due to a boat capsizing at the Harni lake in Vadodara. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected.

An ex-gratia…

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 18, 2024