KOCHI: Five German tourists suffered minor injuries when they fell into the Vembanad lake after the Chinese fishing net planks they were standing on collapsed at Fort Kochi on Friday.
According to police sources, the injured were rescued by the fishermen who were tending to their Chinese fishing nets, with those passing by in their fishing boats lending a hand. Fort Kochi police have registered a case over the incident.
“The tourists were saved by the low tide,” said Vijesh K V, a Union government-certified tour guide and local resident.
“Or else, the tourists would have been swept away into the sea as the area has strong currents.” He blamed the inexperience and a lack of caution on the part of the guide who had accompanied the German tourists.
“Usually, such trips are conducted by native guides who know the dangers and also the precautions that need to be taken when getting on such apparatuses. But the tourists had hired a north Indian guide who had no knowledge of the Chinese fishing nets,” he pointed out.
Vijesh explained that since these Chinese fishing nets are fixtures in the lake, the dampness eats into the wooden structure. “They lose their strength. So, planks won’t be able to hold a lot of weight.
Normally, the number of visitors taken out to the Chinese fishing nets is around two or three. Here, the guide took eight tourists, and their combined weight caused the planks and the supporting structure to collapse,” the guide said.
According to Antony Kureethara, Kochi corporation councillor from Fort Kochi, the tourism department and the civic body are to be blamed for the incident.
“Time and again, it had been highlighted that the Chinese fishing nets needed urgent repair and renovation. But no step has been taken so far. And now, such an incident has happened,” he said.