Udupi, January 27: A tragic incident took place on Monday when a tourist boat capsized near Kodi Bengre Delta Beach in the district, killing two tourists. The boat, which could carry 15 to 20 passengers, capsized near the Hangarakatte shipyard around 12 noon, police said.
There were 14 passengers on board the boat. According to initial information, all the passengers on the boat were given life jackets. However, none of them were wearing safety jackets at the time of the tragedy, police said.
A passenger who survived the incident had told the police that all the passengers were given life jackets, but the police are yet to verify that statement.
Soon after the boat capsized, all 14 people were shifted to the shore in another boat. The condition of four of them is critical. The deceased have been identified as Shankarappa (27) of Harave village in Chamarajanagar and Sindhu (25) of Mooguru village in Chamarajanagar. Another Disha (26) is in critical condition and Dharmaraja (26) is stable, police said. They were part of a team from Saraswathipuram in Mysuru, working at a call centre, police said.
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna blamed the negligence of the Tourism Department for the tragic tourist boat accident in Kodi Bengre. He said despite repeated complaints from the public, tourist boats were operating in violation of rules and without valid licenses.
The MLA alleged that some boats were operating using fake documents and the department had failed to take action against such violations. He criticised the department for focusing only on collecting parking fees at Malpe beach and neglecting cleanliness, safety measures and lifeguard facilities.
Describing the incident as a black spot for the tourism sector in Udupi district, Yashpal Suvarna urged the authorities to implement strict safety measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring.