Male [Maldives], May 9 : Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid on Monday offered condolences to the Indian families who lost their lives in Kerala's Malappuram boat capsize incident on Sunday.
As many as 22 people, including a police officer, were killed after an overloaded double-decker tourist boat capsized at Parappanangadi on Sunday.
Abdulla Shahid tweeted, "Deeply saddened by the news of the tragic incident in Malappuram district, #Kerala, where a boat capsized claiming lives of many. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims."
Responding to Abdullah Shahid's tweet, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked Maldives counterpart for his comforting words.
Taking to its official Twitter handle, Jaishankar in response stated, "Thank you for your comforting words, FM @abdulla_shahid."
Meanwhile, a helicopter of the Indian Navy, with an aircrew diver, was set off on Monday for Malappuram, wherein a boat capsized drowning around 40 tourists, to assist in the ongoing rescue operations, a statement from Southern Naval Command said.
According to the statement, the helicopter was launched at the request of the Kerala government. The site of the incident is approx 150 km from Kochi.
"Initial aerial survey of the site of the incident was undertaken. Contact has been established with National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and a local diving team undertaking a search in the area," the statement read.
"Multiple sorties of the naval helicopter are planned to aid the civil administration with the ongoing search operations," it added.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a judicial inquiry along with a meticulous investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kerala Police will be conducted into the boat capsize incident.
He tweeted, "A thorough judicial inquiry along with a meticulous investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kerala Police will be conducted to bring those responsible for the Tanur boat accident to justice. An ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to the kin of each of the deceased."
The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting held in Tanoor on Monday. The judicial commission will comprise technical experts to examine the technical aspect of the capsized boat.
"It needs to be seen whether the precautionary measures established after the suggestions of various investigations reports of similar tragedies are followed up here," Kerala CM said in a Facebook post.
"It has been decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into the Tanur tragedy. It is envisaged that the judicial commission will also comprise technical experts to look into technical issues related to the boat," he added. He further said that the police investigation will be conducted by forming a special investigation team. Malappuram District Police Chief will head the investigation team.
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