| Date | January 26, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Location | "Aqua Marine" (tourist boat), near Port Blair, India |
| Cause | Overloading |
| Participants | Crew and 45 passengers |
| Outcome | Boat capsized |
| Deaths | 22[1] |
2014 Andaman boat disaster was an incident which occurred on 26 January 2014, when a tourist boat capsized near Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar islands, India, killing 22 people.[1] The boat "Aqua Marine" was carrying 45 tourists from Tamil Nadu and Mumbai.
Accident[edit | edit source]
The boat "Aqua Marine" was carrying 45 tourists from India from Ross Islands to North Bay when it sank and at least 21 people lost their lives.[2] The capacity of the boat was 25 and overloading of the boat resulted in the tragedy.[2] The boat sank at a distance of about 2.5 km from the shore of Port Blair and majority of the tourists were from Tamil Nadu.[3] The administration of the Island group was busy with Republic Day of India and learnt the news at 4.30 p.m. on 26 January 2014.[3] More than 29 people were rescued by district administration while one was still missing. Rescued were admitted to G B Pant hospital. The boat had no life jackets and there were no divers on board.[4]
Reports say that two months before this Accident, a tourist wrote a letter to the union tourism ministry about the lack of safety standards in Andaman islandsā tourism circuit.[5]
Aftermath[edit | edit source]
Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration announced a 100,000 Indian Rupee ex-gratia payment to the family of the deceased tourists.[2] India's then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa expressed their grief over the accident, while Jayalalithaa also announced a compensation of 100,000 Indian Rupees each to the families of dead.[6] Owner of the boat and two others were detained by the law enforcing agencies for enquiry.[4]
References[edit | edit source]
- ā 1.0 1.1 "Information Relating to Boat Accident in Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (Press release). PIB. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ā 2.0 2.1 2.2 "21 die as boat with tourists capsizes in Andaman". The Hindu Business Line. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ā 3.0 3.1 Kumar, Ravi N (26 January 2014). "21 dead in boat capsize near Port Blair". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ā 4.0 4.1 PTI (27 January 2014). "Three detained in connection with Andaman ferry tragedy". Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ā Gulati, Archana. "Andaman Boat Tragedy: How can we prevent such Incidents?". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ā "Manmohan Singh and Jayalalithaa condole Andaman Boat Tragedy". IANS. Biharprabha News. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
Template:Disasters in India Template:2014 shipwrecks
{{#seo:
|keywords=Maritime incidents in India, Maritime incidents in 2014, 2014 disasters in India, History of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Accidental deaths in India
|description=
}}