INDIA: A Double-Decker Tourist Boat Carrying Double Its Capacity Capsized On Sunday Killing 22 Mostly Women And Children. 11 Of Those That Died Came From One Family. Boat Owner On The Run.

It appears the males that were on the sinking boat saved their own asses and allowed the women and children to drown. (emphasis mine)

The News Minute published May 8, 2023 Malappuram boat accident: Search and rescue operations continue in Tanur. Twenty-two people including 13 children were killed after a double-decker boat capsized at Thooval Theeram in Tanur in Malappuram on May 7. The accident took place at around 7pm, making rescue operations challenging. Rescue operations continued on May 8, with NDRF and Coast Guard deployed.

The Indian Express published May 7, 2023 Kerala Boat Accident: At least 22 drown as double-decker boat capsizes in Kerala’s Malappuram. Kerala Boat Accident: At least 22 people, including children, drowned when a double-decker tourist boat capsized near a beach at Tanur, a coastal town in Kerala’s Malappuram district, Sunday night. Survivors alleged that the boat was overcrowded and that most of the passengers did not have safety life jackets. According to officials, the incident took place at Thooval Theeram Ottupuram beach near Tanur around 7.30 pm.

Reuters published May 8, 2023 WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - At least 22 dead as tourist boat capsizes in India. A double-decker tourist boat capsized in an estuary in southern India, killing at least 22 people, including children. Police estimated that around 40 people were on board.

Reuters News

At least 22 dead after tourist boat capsizes in India's Kerala

written by Jose Devasia and Mrinmay Dey

Monday May 7, 2023

At least 22 people including children died when an overcrowded double-decker tourist boat capsized in an estuary in southern India, authorities said.

Some passengers managed to jump off and swim to safety when the converted fishing vessel overturned in the waterway near the town of Tanur in Kerala state late on Sunday, one survivor said.

But others among the estimated 40 people on board were trapped in the boat, officials said. The dead included 11 people from one family, Manorama News channel reported, though there was no confirmation of that from officials.

Rescuers called off a search on Monday when the last missing passenger, an eight-year-old boy, turned up alive in Calicut hospital, B. Sandhya, the chief of Kerala's fire and rescue services, told reporters.

Police said they were searching for the owner of the boat and a case of homicide had been registered against him.

The vessel had listed badly soon after it set off, a survivor identified only as Shafeeq told Manorama.

"Most of the people on the upper deck jumped into the river and swam to safety," he said.

According to initial estimates there were about 40 people, most believed to be domestic tourists, on board including several children, Tanur police official Jeevan George said.

Famous for its picturesque backwaters, Kerala is a major destination for domestic and international tourists.

Local residents said the cruise service had only been launched last month and lacked safety measures. One man said he and his brother had decided not to go on the cruise because the boat looked too crowded.

"The operators were asking more people to join saying it was the last trip of the day," the man, identified as Ibrahim, told Manorama.

The state's health minister, Veena George, said two survivors were discharged from the hospital after treatment while eight were still receiving medical care.