A boat capsized in the Kollidam river near Ramanallur in Ariyalur district on Wednesday. No casualties have been reported as yet.
According to sources, a boat with around 25 people set to Kabisthalam from Ramanallur on the banks of Kollidam river on Tuesday evening. Kabisthalam is a village located on the other side of the Kollidam river, near Papanasam.
A few minutes into the journey, the boat it started leaning on to one side and capsized, throwing all the people on the boat into the water. Since the boat capsized shortly after it left the shore, people who were on the banks alerted the Fire and Rescue services and the police and are involved in search and rescue operations. Ten of those who were on the boat have reportedly taken refuge atop a sand dune in the middle of the river.
An officer from the Fire and Rescue Services Trichy told TNM that there are no casualties yet. “These people were going for a temple festival when the accident happened. We have confirmed that there are no casualties as yet. The local people have rescued most of them. There are still some people on the island and we are now in the process of rescuing them and bringing them to the mainland,” he said.
Speaking to TNM about the incident, one of the first responders in the area, Kamaraj said that there are no casualties and that around 10 people have been spotted on another sand dune in the river, which is on a level higher than the water in the river. This was also confirmed by the DSP of Jayamkondan, who added that police personnel and people from Fire and Rescue services are at the spot coordinating the rescue operations.
(This is a developing story)
Source: The News Minute