Vadodara: A school picnic turned tragic as 16 persons –14 students and two teachers — died after a boat overturned in a lake on the outskirts of Vadodara city in Gujarat Thursday, police officials said.
Two dozen students and four teachers were on a picnic and taking a boat ride in the Harni lake when the tragedy occurred in the afternoon, they said.
A search operation was underway to trace the missing persons, the officials said. “Till now, 14 children and two teachers have died in the tragedy. One student, who was rescued, is undergoing treatment at SSG Hospital,” said an official of the Harni Police Station.
Gujarat Education Minister Kuber Dindor said, “I have just learnt that six children died after a boat carrying school students overturned in a lake.” “Rescue operations are underway. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the fire brigade personnel are on the job along with other agencies,” he said.
Vadodara district collector A B Gor said there were 27 children on the boat. “We are trying to trace and rescue others,” he said.
“A boat carrying school students, who came here on a picnic, overturned in Harni lake in the afternoon. The fire brigade has so far rescued seven students, while search is on for the missing ones,” Vadodara’s chief fire officer Parth Brahmbhatt said. Few local residents rescued some children before the fire brigade personnel reached the spot, he said.
PTI
