At least 11 people were killed and dozens are reported missing after a boat with 61 passengers on board, including crew members, capsized in the Godavari river near Devipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, India, ANI news agency reports, citing officials with the emergency situations headquarters.
Twenty-four people have been rescued after the incident, while 31 are still missing, East Godavari Superintendent of Police, Adnan Nayeem Asmi said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
#UPDATE | #AndhraPradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA): 11 people have lost their lives in the incident where a tourist boat carrying 61 people capsized in Godavari river in Devipatnam, East Godavari district, today. https://t.co/GPla48NZRx
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) September 15, 2019
According to Tourism Minister Muthamsetty Srinivasa Rao, the capsized boat was not licensed of the Tourism Department but had permission from Kakinada Port authorities. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered the licences of all boats operating in the Godavari river to be cancelled.
The accident happened near Kachuluru village in East Godavari district, 380 kilometres east of the state's capital, Hyderabad. The Godavari river, where the tragedy happened, has been in spate for the past several days due to floods. Most people on board were tourists travelling to Papikondalu, a popular tourist spot near Rajahmundry.
