A boat carrying students from Vadodara’s New Sunrise School capsized in the city’s Harni Motnath Lake. The boat, overloaded with more than 22 students and three teachers, was making a round of the lake during a picnic organised by the school when it suddenly overturned.
The mishap led to the unfortunate drowning of the occupants. While more than 10 students tragically lost their lives, others were rescued and rushed to the hospital for immediate medical attention. As per the latest reports, seven children are still missing, intensifying the ongoing search and rescue operation.
The city’s police commissioner, senior officials, collector, and council member Keyur Rokadia are currently at the accident site, overseeing the rescue efforts. The fire department, which was promptly informed about the incident, is also involved in the rescue operations.
Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, expressed grief on X (former Twitter), saying, ‘The incident of children drowning due to a boat capsizing in the Harani lake of Vadodara is extremely heartbreaking. I pray for the peace of the innocent children who lost their lives. In this moment of sorrow, I express my heartfelt condolences to their families. May the Almighty give them the strength to bear this grief. Rescue operations for the students and teachers aboard the boat are currently underway by the authorities. Instructions have been given to the system to ensure relief and treatment for the victims of the accident.’
Opposition leader Chandrakant Srivastava expressed grave concern over the incident, pointing out the negligence that led to the tragedy. He criticised the lack of safety measures, including the absence of life jackets for the children. He demanded accountability for the incident, calling for a case of manslaughter against the responsible officials.
Deputy Mayor Chirag Barot confirmed that the children were boating when the boat capsized. He assured that preparations were underway at the hospital to treat the rescued students. Vadodara’s Collector A.B Gore stated that 11 children have been rescued so far and seven children are in the hospital, safe.
Vadodara’s Mayor, Pinky Soni, confirmed that the boat had capsized and that preparations were underway at the hospital to treat the rescued students. She also mentioned that rescue operations had been initiated.
Opposition leader Ami Ravat expressed concern over the incident, stating that such an accident had occurred in the past and lessons should have been learned. He pointed out that all students were not equipped with life jackets and the boat was overloaded beyond its capacity. He called the incident a case of serious negligence and demanded that a case of manslaughter be filed against the responsible officials. He criticized the authorities for their lack of information and called for strict action against those responsible.
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