Thekkady boat accident..

chackmatha · Oct 1st, 2009, 00:17

Can it also be seen then just a mishap . The boat is designed for 75 and the passengers 80. Chances for ticket less travelers , Complimentary pass holders. Last minute obliging . History is nothing happened before there . Also most of us have traveled in Thekkady before in that type of boats before. We never complained about it or even not mentioned here in this forum and not taken up it before authorites. The famous guide book writers did not warn or said about anything on it . So now the most we can do is to give exact details of the dead people and survivors of the mishap here. This can help atleast the relatives and friends of the dead and survivors.

Nick-H · Oct 1st, 2009, 00:49

Such a thing is never just a mishap. How can you ever think it? It is not a mishap, it is criminal that the boat was overloaded and could not take the strain. The famous guide book writers and so on are not marine architects.

No, one would not expect to wear life jackets on a trip like this. I did see evidence of lifejackets that some had got a hold of on the TV. Such an accident would occur in moments. One would hope to see flotation aids (eg rafts) that float free in case of the boat sinking, I have no idea if there were any.

pmvelu · Oct 1st, 2009, 01:19

Very Sad !

CliveG · Oct 1st, 2009, 01:43

As Nick said not a mishap but a tragedy waiting to happen. Having been on these boats I was concerned about the numbers on board (as with may other craft in Kerala), the lack of life belts (which might not have saved many lives in this event), the two floored boats with narrow drafts that make such boats inherently unstable. The government needs to act and not wait 2/3 years to produce a report by which time may people will have forgotten about the tragedy and fail to implement changes.
A sad day for all the relatives and friends of those who died so needlessly.

chackmatha · Oct 1st, 2009, 03:13

The solution immediately ban this trips or people should keep away unless the boats are really safe .

vandy · Oct 1st, 2009, 07:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by CliveG

As Nick said not a mishap but a tragedy waiting to happen. Having been on these boats I was concerned about the numbers on board (as with may other craft in Kerala), the lack of life belts (which might not have saved many lives in this event), the two floored boats with narrow drafts that make such boats inherently unstable. The government needs to act and not wait 2/3 years to produce a report by which time may people will have forgotten about the tragedy and fail to implement changes.
A sad day for all the relatives and friends of those who died so needlessly.

Condolences to everyone affected by this Incident.

Clive, can you recall the boat operators giving ANY Safety
Instructions before the boat Departs.

One would imagine the Boat Operators would CLEARLY spell out the
Consequences to passengers if they were to All go to One side of the Boat.

The Kerala Govt will HUSH things up just like they did with the Boxing day Tsunami.

vandy

Bigzero · Oct 1st, 2009, 11:13

There will be committees formed, the opposition will blame the government, some govt officials will be transferred, some cash payout will be announced for the families of the dead, some report will come out in a few weeks ( or months ), mainstream media will discuss the issue threadbare, tourists will stay off boats in Thekkadi for a while, a few lifejackets will be issued, some new rules will be made ( which will stay as rules ), and soon everything will be forgotten.

Sadly thats how things work here.

In my view there may be some serious issues with the design of the boat and the estimation of its carrying capacity.

rathee · Oct 1st, 2009, 11:20

Heart goes out to all the families that have suffered this terrible loss.

I am still trying to convince myself and my family as I am heading to Kerala (alone) tomorrow. Initially, I had planned to take a boat ride in the lake along with Tiger Trail.

Well.... I will think twice now before getting onto one of those double decker boats as I am also one of those non swimmers.

LilBoy BigTown · Oct 1st, 2009, 11:41

There will be plenty of bold statements, followed by little action and in few days/weeks this will be forgotten and it will all be back to square one, until the next accident which would be followed my more hollow assurances and statements.

Story of India whether its a terrorist attack, stampede at a temple, or in this instance a boat capsize.

People in India have come to accept mediocrity as norm. We have been conditioned to expect apathy and contempt from the system. Life goes on.

suricate · Oct 1st, 2009, 12:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

Another snippet: boat designed for 60, was carrying 82.

That's KTDC for you, flouting all government rules with impunity!

There is a Forest Department safety rule about maximum number of
people (8) that can be taken in a group going for a forest trek in
Thekkady. In one of my trips KTDC kept adding people until the
number was fourteen! The forest department guide expressed
helplessness, "KTDC makes us do this all the time"!

I complained to KTDC, to no avail. I tried to submit a written complaint
which was not accepted. I was told, "if you keep on creating
problems for us, I'd have to ask you to pay for the room upgrade
I'd given you". I was indeed given a free room upgrade when I
had checked in earlier. That the "upgraded" room was a stinking
mess, is another story. Needless to say I never went back to
KTDC since that day.

This is not to suggest that the other state "Tourism Development
Corporations" of India are much better. I've had bad experiences
with every single one of them that I have tried to date (Kerala,
A.P., Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal). I prefer to
call them "Tourism Destruction Corporations".

Nick-H · Oct 1st, 2009, 12:54

Quote:

Tourism Destruction Corporations

It hardly seems right to giggle in a thread like this, but I like that! I think I stayed in a KTDC hotel in Kovalam, and it was pretty decent, but, a couple of years later, when I asked the same agent about it, they said they had taken it off their list due to complaints.

vandy · Oct 1st, 2009, 13:16

I can't recall ever reccomending KTDC for anything.

From some of the above posts you can see Why.

vandy

NowInBangalore · Oct 1st, 2009, 13:23

The boat was 2 storeyed. All the passengers went on one side of the boat, so the boat toppled over??? That means the BOAT WAS NOT BUILT RIGHT.
I know Nick has mentioned in several threads about safety standards in India. It is true nothing is checked for safety. There is nothing called "maintenance" either. You just have to wait for something to break down completely before any attention is given to it.

We NEVER go to amusement parks in India. Just don't trust them. But boat rides - just recently we went on a boat ride in Goa on the Mandovi river. It is a different fact altogether that we did NOT enjoy the ride because of the loud Bollywood songs, but it never crossed our minds that the boat could have capsized.

Maybe, because the passengers were spread out evenly throughout the boat always helped???

Bigzero · Oct 1st, 2009, 13:45

I switched on the TV today to get an update from some of the Malayalam channels - I could see that an impressive number of Ministers and MLAs have made themselves visible by landing up at the accident site and making statements to the TV channels.

I can imagine the scene. A horde of policemen and chamchas accompanying the VIP to the scene, pushing aside the rescue workers and generally creating pandemonium at the spot, whirlwind visits to the hospitals for photo-ops with the survivors and a few statements expressing shock.

Great.

Nick-H · Oct 1st, 2009, 13:59

Various items on the The Hindu site, including a distressing slideshow, here.

Chief minister fielding embarrassing questions about findings from previous enquiries not implemented--- that says it all, really.

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:13	#37
Bigzero back to my old ways Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,507	There will be committees formed, the opposition will blame the government, some govt officials will be transferred, some cash payout will be announced for the families of the dead, some report will come out in a few weeks ( or months ), mainstream media will discuss the issue threadbare, tourists will stay off boats in Thekkadi for a while, a few lifejackets will be issued, some new rules will be made ( which will stay as rules ), and soon everything will be forgotten. Sadly thats how things work here. In my view there may be some serious issues with the design of the boat and the estimation of its carrying capacity. __________________ miles to go.... Bigzero's Photo Gallery

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Oct 1st, 2009, 00:17	#31
chackmatha Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: India Posts: 67	Can it also be seen then just a mishap . The boat is designed for 75 and the passengers 80. Chances for ticket less travelers , Complimentary pass holders. Last minute obliging . History is nothing happened before there . Also most of us have traveled in Thekkady before in that type of boats before. We never complained about it or even not mentioned here in this forum and not taken up it before authorites. The famous guide book writers did not warn or said about anything on it . So now the most we can do is to give exact details of the dead people and survivors of the mishap here. This can help atleast the relatives and friends of the dead and survivors.

Oct 1st, 2009, 00:49	#32
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,189	Such a thing is never just a mishap. How can you ever think it? It is not a mishap, it is criminal that the boat was overloaded and could not take the strain. The famous guide book writers and so on are not marine architects. No, one would not expect to wear life jackets on a trip like this. I did see evidence of lifejackets that some had got a hold of on the TV. Such an accident would occur in moments. One would hope to see flotation aids (eg rafts) that float free in case of the boat sinking, I have no idea if there were any.

Oct 1st, 2009, 01:19	#33
pmvelu Maha Guru Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Mysore Posts: 1,189	Very Sad !

Oct 1st, 2009, 01:43	#34
CliveG Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: PORTSMOUTH U.K. Posts: 932	As Nick said not a mishap but a tragedy waiting to happen. Having been on these boats I was concerned about the numbers on board (as with may other craft in Kerala), the lack of life belts (which might not have saved many lives in this event), the two floored boats with narrow drafts that make such boats inherently unstable. The government needs to act and not wait 2/3 years to produce a report by which time may people will have forgotten about the tragedy and fail to implement changes. A sad day for all the relatives and friends of those who died so needlessly.

Oct 1st, 2009, 03:13	#35
chackmatha Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: India Posts: 67	The solution immediately ban this trips or people should keep away unless the boats are really safe .

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:20	#38
rathee Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Delhi Posts: 31	Heart goes out to all the families that have suffered this terrible loss. I am still trying to convince myself and my family as I am heading to Kerala (alone) tomorrow. Initially, I had planned to take a boat ride in the lake along with Tiger Trail. Well.... I will think twice now before getting onto one of those double decker boats as I am also one of those non swimmers.

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:41	#39
LilBoy BigTown Visionary Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sydney Posts: 636	There will be plenty of bold statements, followed by little action and in few days/weeks this will be forgotten and it will all be back to square one, until the next accident which would be followed my more hollow assurances and statements. Story of India whether its a terrorist attack, stampede at a temple, or in this instance a boat capsize. People in India have come to accept mediocrity as norm. We have been conditioned to expect apathy and contempt from the system. Life goes on.

Oct 1st, 2009, 13:16	#42
vandy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: perth-australia Posts: 1,144	I can't recall ever reccomending KTDC for anything. From some of the above posts you can see Why. vandy

Oct 1st, 2009, 13:23	#43
NowInBangalore Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore, India Posts: 159	The boat was 2 storeyed. All the passengers went on one side of the boat, so the boat toppled over??? That means the BOAT WAS NOT BUILT RIGHT. I know Nick has mentioned in several threads about safety standards in India. It is true nothing is checked for safety. There is nothing called "maintenance" either. You just have to wait for something to break down completely before any attention is given to it. We NEVER go to amusement parks in India. Just don't trust them. But boat rides - just recently we went on a boat ride in Goa on the Mandovi river. It is a different fact altogether that we did NOT enjoy the ride because of the loud Bollywood songs, but it never crossed our minds that the boat could have capsized. Maybe, because the passengers were spread out evenly throughout the boat always helped???

Oct 1st, 2009, 13:45	#44
Bigzero back to my old ways Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,507	I switched on the TV today to get an update from some of the Malayalam channels - I could see that an impressive number of Ministers and MLAs have made themselves visible by landing up at the accident site and making statements to the TV channels. I can imagine the scene. A horde of policemen and chamchas accompanying the VIP to the scene, pushing aside the rescue workers and generally creating pandemonium at the spot, whirlwind visits to the hospitals for photo-ops with the survivors and a few statements expressing shock. Great.

Oct 1st, 2009, 13:59	#45
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,189	Various items on the The Hindu site, including a distressing slideshow, here. Chief minister fielding embarrassing questions about findings from previous enquiries not implemented--- that says it all, really.