Kerala boat accident: I lost 11 members of my family

On the evening of May 7, Kunumal Sitalavi heard the sirens of ambulances heading towards the coast of his home town in the southern Indian state of Kerala and feared the worst.

Mr Saithalavi, 48, had been unsuccessfully trying to contact his family. “I’ve tried them on three different cell phones they’ve used [but got no response],” He says.

Many of his family members went to Thooval Theeram, a popular tourist destination near the mouth of a river in Tanur, a coastal town in Malappuram district.

The night ended with shocking news for Mr. Saithalavi.

Eleven members of his family – including his wife and four children – were among the 22 people who died after an overcrowded tourist boat capsized here.

Mr. Saithalavi and his younger brother Kunnummal Siraj lived with their family and mother in their ancestral home in Puthankadappuram, a few kilometers away from Thooval Theeram.

Their sister was visiting the family when they decided to visit the tourist destination.

The family also invited their adoptive brother Kunomal Jaber and his family, and their neighbor Ashifa and her two children to join them on the trip. The 19-member group headed downstream on Sunday evening.

Mr Saithalavi says he joined his family at the site and spent time with them before leaving to meet a friend who lives nearby.

“I warned them not to get on the boat because I was sure boating at that time wouldn’t be safe,” he says.

His neighbour, Mrs. Ashifa, who accompanied the family, says the group was about to go home that evening when the boat operators offered huge discounts on tickets and free tickets for children.

“It was an attractive show,” she says. “We accepted it but I changed my mind due to safety concerns.”

Mr. Saithalavi’s family rode the double-decker boat for a ride.

But after a few minutes, Mrs. Ashiva who was waiting for them on the beach with her children heard about the incident. “I was in shock,” she says.

The boat was reportedly carrying about 50 people, or twice its capacity, when it capsized on Sunday night.

The worker did not have permission to move the boat into the water after dusk, The Indian Express reported mentioned.

Officials say overcrowding caused the boat to capsize. Several passengers were trapped under the boat. Local media said rescue efforts were being hampered by dark night skies.

Mr. Saithalavi was on the porch of his friend NP Koya’s house at the time of the accident. When no calls were made to his family, they both rushed to the coast.

“I was afraid that something tragic would happen to my family,” says Mr. Saithalavi.

Once in the estuary, they boarded a boat moored to the shore and rushed to rescue accident victims.

“When we arrived at the site in our small boat, there were many other people who had come to help with the rescue,” says Mr. Koya. [Saithalavi] We panicked when we got to the place.”

Mr. Saithalavi says he is sure his family got trapped under the boat and they jumped into the water. He brings one body back to the boat, only to realize it is his niece.

“The moment he realized that the body we recovered was that of his niece, he lost all confidence,” Koya says. Stunned with shock, Mr. Saithalavi is taken back to shore.

Mr. Saithalavi has four daughters and his brother Mr. Siraj has three, including an eight-month-old baby. He and Siraj lost their wives and children in the accident. Their brother, Mr. Jaber, also lost his wife and son.

Four members of the family survived the accident – their sister Nusrat, her 18-month-old daughter Aisha and two of Mr. Jaber’s children, Jarsha and Jana. They are being treated in hospital.

Mr. Saithalavi’s niece Umm Habiba KP says his daughters were the source of his strength. “They always told him that they would help him get good jobs by studying hard,” she says.

His eldest daughter, Hasna, dreamed of becoming a doctor and was waiting for the results of her final school exams.

Ms. Habiba says the family has been trying to build a home for the past three years. Their current home does not have enough space for everyone, as the family’s children sleep in the kitchen due to lack of space.

“The children left the world, leaving behind dreams of providing their parents with a decent life and a good home,” says Ms. Habiba.

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