Kerala: Two dead, one missing after snakeboat capsizes in Achankovil river
Two persons died and another went missing on Saturday after a ‘palliyodam’ (snakeboat) capsized in the Achankovil river near here, police said The police and fire force personnel said they have recovered the bodies of Adithyan (17) and Vineesh (39) and a search has begun for the missing person.
The palliyodam was on the way to participate in the ‘Aranmula Uthrittathi Vallamkali’ (boat race), scheduled to be held on the Pampa river near Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy temple in Pathanamthitta district on Sunday A senior police official from the district told PTI that there were around 60 people in the boat.
“The snakeboat sank and most of the oarsmen swam to safety. As per our preliminary investigation, three people went missing and the two bodies were recovered,” the police official told PTI.
The official said normally around 50 oarsmen would be onboard. Since the boat was going for the competition and was taking a pradakshinam (traditional circling in front of the deity), a few more people got onboard.
