– Sahar Khan
In a tragic incident, a school picnic programme turned disastrous with sixteen persons, including 14 schoolchildren died after a boat they were onboard overturned at Vadodara town outskirts in Gujarat on Thursday evening.
The search operation continues to trace the missing persons as according to the officials there were 28 people including 23 students on board when the mishap took place. The ill-fated boat didn’t have the capacity to carry beyond 15 adults and the life-saving jackets were provided to only a dozen onboard, the locals informed.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel along with the state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi reached SSG hospital and met the injured kids and their families. The CM directed the Vadodara district magistrate to probe into the incident and submit the report within 10 days.
PM Narendra Modi also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of the deceased besides Rs 50000 to the injured.
The students were from New Sunrise School that organised the picnic trip. Most of the school kids who died in the incident were Muslims. The deceased students included Sakina Sheikh, Muawja Sheikh, Ayat Mansoori, Ayan Mohammed Gandhi, Rehan Khalifa, Vishwa Nizam, Juhabia Subedar, Ayesha Khalifa, Nancy Machi, Hatvi Shah, Roshni Surve. The deceased teachers were identified as Chaya Patel and Falguni Surti.
Meanwhile, the Harani police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the private boat contractor (who is having license from Municipal Corporation of Vadodara) and four others under the IPC Sections 304, 308, 337. Two have been detained for interrogation.
