Kerala boat tragedy: This man lost 11 members of his family, just four returned
Kerala boat tragedy
The boat tragedy in southern Indian state of Kerala made news everywhere. But it has caused profound grief for Kunnummal Saithalavi, who lost 11 members ofhis family in the accident. Twenty-two people lost lives in the boat tragedy. This means half of those dead were relatives of Kunnummal Saithalavi.
The family members had gone to Thooval Theeram, a tourist attraction in Kerala's Malappuram district where the boat tragedy took place. As the news of the boat accident began doing the rounds, Kunnummal Saithalavi tried calling the family members on their mobile phones.
"I tried them on three different mobile phones they used [but got no response]," he said, as quoted by BBC.
Kunnummal Saithalavi and his brother Kunnummal Siraj stay with their family and their mother in Puthankadappuram, a few kilometres awayfrom the site of the tragedy.
The family decided to visit Thooval Theeram as Saithalavi's sister had come visiting. The family also invited his adopted brother Kunnumal Jabir and his family along with their neighbour Ashifa and her two children. The group now comprised 19 people.
"I warned them not to take the boat ride as I was sure boating at that time would not be safe," he told BBC.
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Neighbour of his familyAshifa was quoted by BBC as saying that when the group decided to head back home, the boat operator started offering huge discounts on ticket prices and even free tickets for children.
"It was an attractive offer," said Ashifa.
"We accepted it but I changed my mind because of safety concerns."
There were reportedly 50 people on the boat, almost double ofits capacity when it overturned. The operator of the boat did not have permission to take the boat into the water after dark.
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After the boat overturned and Saithalavi couldn't reach his relatives' mobile phones, he rushed to the site close to the water and took a boat docked there to reach the exact location of the tragedy. Saithalavi jumped into the water and even pulled up a body, only to realise it was his niece.
Only four persons in the family from the group that had gone to Thooval Theeram came back.
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