Date | 27 July 2002 |
---|---|
Time | 6:00 AM (IST, UTC+05:30) |
Location | Kumarakom, Kottayam, Kerala, India |
Type | boat capsizing |
Deaths | 29 |
The Kumarakom boat accident occurred on 27 July 2002 morning, when a passenger boat sank, that was travelling from Muhamma in Alappuzha to Kumarakom in Kottayam, Kerala, India. [1] The accident happened nearly one kilometer before reaching the Kumarakom jetty. [2] 29 people, including a nine-month-old baby and 15 women died in the accident. [3]
The boat number A 53 of the Kerala State Water Transport Department, which was going to Kumarakom from Muhamma with full passengers at 5.45 in the morning met with the accident. Most of the people on the boat were the PSC candidates from Muhamma, Kaipuram and Puthanangady areas who had gone to Kottayam to appear for the last grade servant examination. The boat also carried hired laborers and fishmongers who were regular passengers. It is believed that the accident happened when the boat carrying more people hit the sandbar in the lake. Among the 29 dead were 15 women and a 9-month-old baby. [4]
The justice Narayana Kurup commission appointed to investigate the accident had recommended a financial assistance of Rs 91.6 lakh for the kin of the deceased. However, as of 2012, 1 lakh rupees has been paid so far for each. Four people including the boat master faced trial for 15 years in the case following the accident. They were released by the court in 2019. The boat that caused the accident was later auctioned by the water transport department. [5]
Kumarakom is a popular tourism destination located near the city of Kottayam, in Kerala, India, famous for its backwater tourism. It is set in the backdrop of the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in the state of Kerala. In January 2023, when Kerala was chosen by the New York Times as one among the 52 must-see tourist destinations in the world, Kumarakom got a special mention for its backwater tourism.
The Kerala backwaters are a network of brackish lagoons and canals lying parallel to the Arabian Sea of the Malabar coast of Kerala state in south-western India. It also includes interconnected lakes, rivers, and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km (560 mi) of waterways, and sometimes compared to bayous. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both man made and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range. In the midst of this landscape there are a number of towns and cities, which serve as the starting and end points of backwater cruises. There are 34 backwaters in Kerala. Out of it, 27 are located either closer to Arabian Sea or parallel to the sea. The remaining 7 are inland navigation routes.
Vembanad is the longest lake in India, as well as the largest lake in the state of Kerala. The lake has an area of 230 square kilometers and a maximum length of 96.5 km. Spanning several districts in the state of Kerala, it is known as Vembanadu Lake in Kottayam, Vaikom, Changanassery, Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha, Punnappra, Kuttanadu and Kochi Lake in Kochi. Several groups of small islands including Vypin, Mulavukad, Maradu, Udayamperoor, Vallarpadam, and Willingdon Island are located in the Kochi Lake portion. Kochi Port is built around the Willingdon Island and the Vallarpadam island.
Pathiramanal is a small island in Muhamma panchayat of Alappuzha district located in Vembanad Lake. The name Pathiramanal means 'midnight sand'. The scenic beauty of both sides of the lake as well as that of the island is mind blowing. It is home to many rare varieties of migratory birds from different parts of the world.
The MeenachilRiver or Meenachilaar, also known as Kavanar, Valanjar, is a river in Kerala. It is one of the most treacherous rivers in Kerala due to its flash floods, heavy undercurrents and woods and debris it carries from the mountains. It flows through the heart of Kottayam district, Kerala state in southern India. 78km long, originates in the Western Ghats main tributaries are Theekoy aaru from Vagamon hills, Poonjar Aaru and Chittar, flowing westward through the city of Kottayam and other towns like Poonjar, Teekoy, Aruvithura, Bharananganam, Pala, Mutholy, Cherpunkal, Kidangoor and Kumarakom before emptying into the Vembanad Lake on the shore of the Indian Ocean.
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Kerala State Water Transport Department (SWTD) is a governmental department that regulates the inland navigation systems in the Indian state of Kerala and provides inland water transport facilities. It stands for catering to the traffic needs of the inhabitants of the waterlogged areas of the Districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kollam, Ernakulam, Kannur and Kasaragod. The department is headed by the State Minister in charge of transportation.
Muhamma is a census town in Cherthala Taluk in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is home to Cheerappanchira kalari, where Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala had his training in the martial arts. Cheerappanchira is an Ezhava ancestral home in Muhamma. Muhamma was the village where the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader P. Krishna Pillai died after sustaining a snake-bite. Pathiramanal island, one of the scenic spots in vembanad lake is a part of Muhamma Panchyath.Muhamma boat jetty offers ferry services to Kumarakom and Alappuzha. Pathiramnal island can be accessed by private owned boats and also by government operated water transport.
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Events in the year 2002 in Kerala.
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