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Rescuers find 58 bodies in India boat sinking
22 Jan 2007 08:40:48 GMT
 Source: Reuters
HYDERABAD, India, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Rescuers using fishing boats and helicopters have found dozens of bodies after their overcrowded boat sank in a river in southern India, police said on Monday.

Some 58 corpses were uncovered at the weekend after the bamboo vessel, with more than 70 people on board, capsized on Thursday in the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh state.

"So far, we have recovered 58 bodies and intend to give up the search," state official V. Usha Rani said.

More than a dozen people, mainly younger passengers, were rescued soon after the boat sank in Mehbubnagar district, 180 km (110 miles) southwest of the state capital, Hyderabad.

Several children were among the dead. The victims were Hindu pilgrims returning from a religious festival and many were found several kilometres downstream from where the boat sank.

"Nylon fishing nets fitted with iron hooks were used by fishermen to sift through slush to get hold of the bodies," said K. Srinivas Reddy, police chief of Mehbubnagar district.

India's river navigation laws are poorly implemented and overcrowded boats run regularly on its powerful rivers, resulting in several major boat disasters every year.


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