Tanur boat tragedy: Kerala Port Dept officials in ambit of probe

Malappuram: Officials of the Kerala State Port Department have been brought under the ambit of the probe into the recent Tanur boat tragedy which claimed nearly two dozen lives.

Investigators seized documents pertaining to the permit granted to the ill-fated boat, 'Atlantic', which sank near the mouth of an estuary in Tanur in Kerala's Malappuram district on May 7.

The Ponnani and Beypore Port Department offices were involved in allotting the permit for the haphazardly modified vessel.

Based on the conclusions after examining the documents, Port Department officials are to be summoned to record their statements. The probe team intends to complete the proceedings related to this quickly.

‘Atlantic’, which met with an accident in Tanur, was a remodelled fishing boat, it was revelaed. The probe team is now looking into whether there were lapses at the official level in allowing permits for the boat.

There are certain norms to be followed while converting a fishing boat into a passenger craft. The team would mainly check whether ‘Atlantic’ complied with these criteria.

CUSAT team

Meanwhile, a team from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) would visit Tanur today or tomorrow to examine the technical aspects of the boat which met with the accident. The technical experts are visiting as requested by the police investigation team.

The police would soon request the custody of boat owner P Nassar for interrogation. At present, he is lodged in Tirur sub-jail.

Twenty-two people, including 15 children, died in the boat mishap at Tooval Theeram in Poorappuzha, Tanur.

In the preliminary investigation, it was found there were lapses and violations in issuing the permit to the boat and in operating passenger services. The case is being investigated by the team led by the Malappuram district police chief. The owner of the boat, skipper and a few crew members have been arrested so far in connection with the case.