Daijiworld Media Network – Karwar
Karwar, Jan 21: It was a tragedy that was waiting to happen says many eyewitnesses about the boat tragedy in Karwar that claimed the lives of 8 people today, January 21, 2019. Many more are said to be missing and the search is in full swing to recover their bodies. Those who saw the tragedy unfold from close quarters point out that as boats carry more people than the permissible limits during the annual fair this tragedy was waiting to happen. However, there are others who say that the tragedy was caused when panicked people in the boat tried to move to one side of the boat resulting in its tilt and finally it turned topsy- turvy killing many. If those in the boat had exercised some restraint and had not panicked the mishap could have been averted.
The exact death toll will be known only by tomorrow. According to reports last came in 8 people are dead, 7 are missing and 18 have been rescued by fishermen and the Coastal Security Police who rushed to the spot on hearing about the tragedy. The rescued people have been admitted to Karwar Medical College and are recovering. So far the bodies of 8 dead persons have been identified. They are:
Name of the dead persons in boat tragedy:
Arun (baby child) resident of Shiggavi, Haveri
Manjavva Somu, resident of Shiggavi
Bharati resident of Hosur, Shiggavi
Nilesh Rohidas Pednekar
Jayashri Kotharkar, resident of Kadwad, Karwar
Ganapati Kotharkar, resident of Kadwad, Karwar
Annakka Ingalkar resident of KHB Colony, Karwar
Geeta Janamejay Talekar, resident of Ponda, Goa
Names of Missing persons:
Prasappa Beluvalakoppa Resident of Kusthagi Koppal district and his children Sanjeevi, Soujanya and Sandeep. Geeta Hulaswar, Keerti and Kiran too are missing.
The tragedy would have been much greater if the fishermen and Coast Guard Police had not responded with alacrity to save the people.
What exactly happened?
It is said that there were 33 persons in the boat when it capsized in the Kali river near the Sangam (the river meeting the sea) at about 3.00 pm when the boat was returning carrying devotees who were returning after offering pooja at the Narasimha Temple in Kurumgad Island. According to Santhosh Paluskar of Karwar who was returning in another boat and witnessed the tragedy unfold says “when the boat reached the Sangham area a huge wave hit the boat as there was high tide. The boat driver on gauging the situation reduced the speed and tried to stop it. By then the boat had tilted to one side and those in the boat panicked and tried to move to the other side and in no time the boat capsized. A few clung to the boat and survived and others swam to safety”.
Though there were other boats in the vicinity of the ill-fated boat they did not dare come near the tragedy for the fear of risking their own passengers as there was complete chaos in the capsized boat and they would have risked the lives of others. Karwar MLA Roopali Naik who was returning from the temple after offering pooja in another boat managed to save six people on her boat.
The ill-fated boat belongs to Nagaraj who has registered his boat with the Tourism department for ferrying tourists to the island. But today, being the festival, he was ferrying devotees who throng to the area for the two-day annual celebrations.
Some of the old guards who visit Kurumgad every year recalled that a similar incident had happened in the 90’s when a Persin boat had capsized killing one person in the same area whereas others managed to swim and save their lives. In 2008 also a fishing boat had overturned in the area killing two persons. This year the tragedy has already claimed 8 lives and 7 more are missing.
Kurumgad is a tortoise shaped Isand located about 4 kms from Karwar off the Arabian Sea.n. The island is famous for the Narasimha temple which is open only for two days in a year and attracts thousands of devotes during the annual fair during Pushya Purnima which falls in the month of January. It is said that about 25,000 devotees from Coast region, North Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa throng to the temple every year during the annual fair. To go to the temple devotes have to go by boat travelling for about 30 minutes. Boat facility is available at two places – at Baidkol near Karwar port and also from Kodibag area. Savitha Gouda, a resident of Baidkol who went to the island along with her sister and returned by noon says “since most of the devotees of this temple belong to fishermen community and the fishing boats ferry people across free of coast as a symbol of their devotion. In doing so, sometimes they carry more people in the boat than the permissible limits, thus inviting trouble”. It is indeed tragic that some of those who lost their lives belong to a single family.
Hope the Karwar District administration exhibits more caution next time during the annual fair so that such tragedies don’t recur.