Four more bodies found, Karwar boat tragedy toll mounts to 12

Karwar, Jan 23: The toll in the boatcapsize touched 12 on Tuesday with the recovery of four bodiesin different places off the Karwarshore. Those who survived said there were at least five other boats in the vicinity when theirs sank near the point where river Kali reaches the sea, but none of them came forward to help. Passengers on those boats, in fact, whipped out their smartphones to click photos of the sinking boat, they claimed.

The discovery of four more bodies followed a coordinated operation of the Navy, Coast Guard and coastal security police (CSP).

The body of four-year-old Kiran was found near the lighthouse; Parashuram, 35, was found near Alvewada; Sheyas Pavaskar, 28, near Devbag beach and the body of 14-year-old Sanjeevini was traced to Kurmagad island. Two more bodies are yet to be recovered.

While police and life guards of Tagore Beach Development Committee searched for the bodies in different places along the Arabian Sea in Karwar, the Navy, CSP and Coast Guard staff searched in the sea with help of interceptor boats C-155, C-420 and C-123. Ships belonging to the Navy (INS Tilanchang) and Coast Guard (ICGS-Amarthya), a Dornier plane and helicopters belonging to the Navy and Coast Guard were pressed into service. The helicopters located the bodies while searching along the shore between Ankola and Goa.

Early Tuesday, the mortal remains of Nilesh Pednekar – who lost his life after saving three persons, including his wife Neha – was shifted to Mumbai. Nilesh who was running a hotel in Goregaon in Mumbai had come for Narasimha jatra in Kurmagad Island. The boat sank on its way back from Kurmagad.

Karwar MLA Roopali Naik and fishermen’s leader Ganapati Ulvekar, who too were returning from the island at the time, found the sinking boat and took eight people on board. Two of them died soon after. Naik said she contacted senior officials to keep ambulances ready even as she ferried the victims. But as she alighted at Sagara Darshan, she had to fight with the officials as no arrangements had been made. The district administration later coordinated the search and rescue operation throughout Monday night and Tuesday.