People gather during a rescue and search operation after a boat overturned in a lake, in Vadodara, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Twelve school children and two teachers of a private school died after a boat carrying them capsized in Vadodara's Harni lake on Thursday evening. The children were aged between 10 and 15.
Officials said that there were a total of 23 children and four teachers from New Sunrise School in the boat when it sank allegedly due to overloading. The school had organised a tour and the boat ride for the students as part of a picnic.
Minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi told reporters late in the night that "prima facie, the organisers of the boat ride are not just responsible but guilty of the incident...the boat was overloaded and only ten children had been given safety guard, who were saved while those who didn't have died."
The minister also said that two persons have been arrested while teams have been formed to nab three others. An FIR was registered with Harni police station against five persons under the charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (IPC 304), attempt to commit homicide (IPc 308) and causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others (IPC 337).
The FIR names persons related to Kotia Projects, which has been managing the lake under private partnership with Vadodara Municipal Corporation. The firm's owner Paresh Shah is reported to have gone underground.
Earlier, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Sanghavi had rushed to Vadodara from Gandhinagar to take stock of the rescue operation and condition of survivors. Later in the night, the chief minister ordered a magisterial probe into the incident and sought report in ten days.
Congress leader Amit Chavda while terming the incident as heart wrenching sought strict action against responsible persons. He said that to avoid incidents like Harni or Morbi where 135 people died in bridge collapse, the government should make better arrangements at tourist places and take strict action against any negligence.
Chief minister Bhupendra Patel on X posted, "The incident of children drowning after the boat capsized in Vadodara's Harni lake is extremely heartbreaking. I pray for the peace of the souls of the innocent children who lost their lives."
Minister for primary, secondary and adult education, Kuber Dindor told reporters, "We have come to know that the boat was overloaded and the students were not wearing life jackets. This is an unfortunate incident. We are looking at it to take action as per the law against the school management and the company managing the lake."
Expressing grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs2 lakh to be given to the next of the kin of each deceased and Rs50,000 for families of injured. Meanwhile, CM Patel announced a solatium of Rs 4 lakh for the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the family of the injured.