Kerala HC suo motu takes up Tanur boat tragedy case

Expressing grave concern over the Tanur boat tragedy which claimed 22 lives, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday suo motu took up the issue and decided to move forward.

On Sunday evening, a pleasure boat at a local tourist destination at Tanur in Malappuram, carrying around 40 people, capsized leaving 22 dead and 10 others injured.

One of the reasons why the vacation bench of the court decided to take it up was there appears to be a serious lapse on the part of the authorities, who failed to make the mandatory checks, with regards to the safety and security of the passengers.

The court asked the Port Officer for a detailed report into the accident even as it raised grave concerns over the tragic accident and wanted to know the reason for the accident.

On Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after reaching the accident place announced a judicial probe into the accident and asked to form a special team for it.

Meanwhile, as per unofficial reports, the ill-fated boat did not have proper registration documents and fitness certification.

While the boat owner Nassar is in police custody, the boat driver and his assistant managed to escape soon after the boat capsized. The police are on a lookout for the duo.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan arrived in Kozhikode this morning and visited the 10 people who are recovering at hospitals after being rescued.

"I visited those in the hospital and was told all of them, including women and children, are recovering well," said Khan.

Now all eyes are on the High Court as three judicial commission reports of similar boat tragedies in the state had submitted their reports.

The court will look into the action taken on the reports.