ALAPPUZHA: A 58-year-old tourist from Telangana drowned as a houseboat in which he was staying sank in Alappuzha on Thursday. Three others in the houseboat had a miraculous escape. The deceased is Ramachandra Reddy, 58, of Kamareddy, Telangana.
According to Alappuzha South police, the incident happened around 4am. The tourists were asleep when the boat started to sink. Immediately boat workers and local people present in the area rescued them from the sinking boat. They were admitted to Alappuzha General Hospital, but the life of Ramachandra could not be saved, police said.
Ramachandra, his son and two friends started the journey on December 25 from Telangana. They came to Alappuzha for backwater cruise on Wednesday after visiting places in Karnataka. The wooden plank beneath the boat gave way and water gushed into the boat all of a sudden which resulted in the accident.
The boat is owned by Milton, of Vattayal, in Alappuzha. The accident occurred when the houseboat was anchored at Kannitta jetty in Pallathuruthy. The body was handed over to relatives after postmortem examination, police said. The incident has raised doubts about the security of passengers as the houseboat sector is witnessing a heavy rush of tourists from across the country and abroad. Alappuzha South police have registered a case in connection with the incident.