Twelve students along with two teachers became victims of a boat accident that took place in Harni Lake, Vadodara, India. According to the reports by local media, eighty students along with a few teachers, all from New Sunrise School in India, went on a picnic.
While some of the students were busy with different activities, a few of them went on a boat ride where they had an accident. The accident took place due to an imbalance in the boat. According to locals, the number of passengers that could ride the boat was fourteen, but the boat was filled beyond its capacity.
All the students were not provided with life jackets. According to the authorities, eighteen students and two teachers are undergoing treatment after being rescued from the lake.
Parents are blaming the school authority for this tragic incident. The sister of one of the students who lost her life during the boat tipping accident told the media that the school did not inform the families of the students that they were taking the students to a lake. Instead, the parents were informed of a trip to a water park. She said that she was continuously trying to contact the school authorities but no one had been responding since the tragedy.
The relatives and parents of children are questioning the authorities about how such an accident took place and if security and safety precautions were taken. In a statement, one of the parents said, “This is the result of negligence…it has the direct responsibility of the system, the government and the school”.
This is not the only accident that has taken place due to the negligence of the authorities of Gujarat. Earlier, due to the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi, 135 people lost their lives. Similarly, in Kerala state of India, 22 people became victims of a boat accident.
The federal minister of the state, Harsh Sanghvi, put the blame on the boat operator and the contractor. He said that this accident cannot be categorized as a mistake. The comment of Gujarat has asked for the submission of a report on this accident in 10 days.
Two people have been arrested by the police who seem to be in connection with the accident.
