Tanur Boat Tragedy

Life jacket saved our lives, says survivor

Tanur: Rajisa and her family members are among the lucky survivors of Sunday's boat tragedy in Kerala which claimed the lives of 22 on excursion and what ultimately stood between their life and the watery grave were the life jackets.

Rajisa, her husband and daughter are yet to come to terms with the trauma. Her husband Shibi was left in tears.

"We survived only because we were wearing life jackets," Rajisa, a native of Tanur, said. 

"The accident happened around 7 pm on Sunday. While we were climbing aboard, there were three families, including small children, on the boat. One of the children was hungry and crying. I gave them water after they asked if I had any. Three jackets were brought to us. One jacket was big, so my husband Shibi put it on. He also gave jackets to four children on the top deck,” she recounted.

“The boat swerved sometime after it set sail. Everyone was thrown off to one side as the boat wobbled. I fell off before my child fell and sank into the water. The boat overturned on top of the people who had fallen into the water. There were mostly children on the boat. I managed to swim up but my neck was bruised after hitting some part of the boat. During the journey, smoke was seen billowing unusually from the boat. I survived only because I was wearing the life jacket," Rajisa said with a shudder.

The ill-fated boat capsized in Poorapuzha at Tanur in Malappuram district of Kerala on Sunday.