A boat carrying about 20 people—but only 16 seats—capsized in a lake on Thursday, allegedly killing several students and teachers in India, according to officials.
According to The Indian Express, the incident occurred late in the afternoon at Harni Lake in Vadodara during a private school-arranged picnic.
Two 45-year-old teachers and a boy and two girls, both 15 years old, perished when the boat overturned, a local hospital reported to the newspaper.
Local government official Sheetal Mistry told The Indian Express, “The children showed up at the lake at 4:30 p.m., and along with their teachers, they boarded the boat in the lake zone.” “The children were wearing life jackets, but the reports claim that 24 people were made to sit in one bboat,which otherwise has a capacity to carry just 16 passengers.”
After the boat sank, a rescue effort was initiated, and some residents were able to save some kids before emergency personnel arrived, as reported by India TV.
According to the station, the boat could have held up to 27 passengers, including four teachers and 23 children.
“It is really tragic that children drowned in Vadodara’s Harni Lake after a boat overturned. Indian chief minister Bhupendra Patel wrote on X, “I pray for the peace of the souls of the innocent children who lost their lives.” “We all feel and pray that more and more lives can be saved.”
