Balugaon: The death toll in the Chilika lake boat capsize tragedy Saturday evening rose to six after four more bodies of victims were recovered Sunday morning.
Of the six victims, four are minors. Two bodies, a woman and her daughter, were recovered Saturday late evening.
Meanwhile, Khurda Collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra directed the boat operators in Chilika to ensure safety of tourists by asking them to use lifejackets and other safety gears. The administration has also banned ferrying by boat in the lake after 4 pm.
The deceased mother-daughter duo was identified as Pramodini Das (30), wife of Rabindra Das, and their daughter Sradhanjali Das (8) of Dimisar village under Sarankul police limits in Nayagarh district. The two had gone to the Kalijai temple with their family members.
The four bodies recovered Sunday were identified as Kalpana Mohanty (21), daughter of Pradip Mohanty, Suchitra Mohanty (7), daughter of Upendra Mohanty in Narsinghpur village under Ranpur police limits, Sudhanshu Das (4), son of Srinivas Das of Patnajamusahi in Nayagarh, and Meera Patnaik (11), daughter of Kailash Chandra Patnaik of Sikharpadar village near Balugaon in Khurda district.
However, the minor boatman refused to heed their requests and ferried the boat towards the shore, Srinivas, who lost his son in the tragedy, said, adding that the minor boatman lacked experience in such situations. Moreover, the boat also lacked the requisite safety gears and life jackets.
Meanwhile, a pal of gloom descended at Balugaon hospital after the arrival of the four bodies with the cries of the bereaved family members reverberating in the air.
Police have registered a case based on a complaint by Rabindra Das, who lost his wife Pramodini and daughter Sradhanjali Das in the boat capsize, and started an investigation into the boat capsize. Police have already detained Basant Behera, owner of the ill-fated boat, who was absconding after the incident.
The boat, bearing No-173, is registered with Inland Water Transport Department (IWTA) and is affiliated to Maa Kalijai Motorboat Association (MKMA) in Chilika Lake. The license and insurance of the boat had expired in 2015 and were not renewed.
When contacted, Krushna Chandra Behera, MKMA secretary said the license has not been renewed due to the transfer of some senior officers in the IWTA department. They have been depositing money, but their licenses were not renewed.
Chief fire force officer Sukant Sethi said two bodies were fished out Saturday evening, while four were recovered Sunday. Fifty fire personnel, a team comprising 40 ODRAF members, six power boats, Indian Navy personnel, 16 divers and local fishermen were engaged in the search operations.
CM announces Rs 4L ex-gratia
Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday announced an ex-gratia of `4 lakh each to the next of kin of boat capsize victims in Chilika Lake Saturday evening. Earlier, the CM had announced free medical
treatment for those injured in the incident. Naveen also expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in the boat capsize incident and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved families.
