UDUPI: Two tourists died on Monday after a boat carrying 14 people capsized near Kodi Bengre delta beach in Udupi district. Police said not all passengers were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident. A surviving passenger told authorities that life jackets had been provided to everyone, though police are yet to verify this claim.
The boat overturned near the Hangarkatta shipbuilding area around 12 pm. All 14 passengers were rescued and brought to shore in another boat, however, four were in critical condition. Two of them identified as Shankarappa (27) and Sindhu (25), both from Mooguru village of Chamarajanagar, later died. Another passenger, Deesha (26), remained in critical condition, while Dharmaraja (26) was stable. Police said the group was a team from Saraswatipuram, Mysuru, working at a call centre.
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna alleged that negligence by the Tourism Department led to the tragic tourist boat accident at Kodi Bengre. He said tourist boats were operating in violation of norms and without valid licenses, despite repeated public complaints.
The MLA alleged that some boats were functioning using forged documents and that the department failed to act against such violations. He criticised the department for focusing only on parking fee collection at Malpe beach while neglecting cleanliness, safety measures and lifesaving facilities.
Describing the incident as a black mark on Udupi district’s tourism sector, Yashpal Suvarna urged authorities to implement strict safety measures to prevent recurrence of such tragedies.