Ferryman blames students for tragedy

It is not yet confirmed whether ferryman Usman was in the boat or pulling it from the shore several metres away using a pulley as usual when the tragedy occurred. Usman told newsmen from an undisclosed location that he had dissuaded the students from crowding the boat. “But they wouldn’t listen as all of them wanted to get into the boat to catch a bus,’’ he said. He also said that the boys raised the speed of the boat by standing up and pulling hard at the rope which led to the raft to tilt and overturn.

As in the case of many such ferries in Kerala which is known as the land of 44 rivers, students of the SS Higher Secondary School are used to taking the shortcut ferry and save about 5 kms roundabout by road.