One dead, 20 rescued after tourist boat capsizes off Calangute beach in Goa
Panaji, Dec 25: One person died and 20 others were rescued after a tourist boat capsized in the Arabian Sea off Calangute beach in North Goa on Wednesday, police said.
The incident occurred around 1.30 pm, they said.
"A 54-year-old man died and 20 others were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after the boat they were travelling in capsized," a senior police official said.
Except for two passengers, all others were wearing life jackets, he said.
The passengers included children as young as six year old and women, he said.
Spokesman of Drishti Marine, a government-appointed lifesaving agency, said the boat capsized around 60 metres away from the coastline, resulting in all the passengers falling off into the sea water.
A family comprising 13 members from Khed in Maharashtra were among the passengers on board, he said.
On seeing the boat getting capsized, a personnel of Drishti Marine rushed to aid and called for backup, he said.
"In all, 18 on-duty lifesavers rushed to the aid of the struggling passengers and brought them to shore safely," he said.
The injured passengers were administered first aid, while those who were found to be critical were rushed to a medical facility in an ambulance, the spokesman said.
"Of the 20 passengers, two children aged six and seven each, and two women aged 25 and 55 each, were revived and hospitalised," he said, adding that two passengers on the boat were not wearing life jackets.
Goa is a popular tourist destination, especially during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The incident occurred a week after a speeding Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and crashed into passenger ferry 'Neel Kamal' off the Mumbai coast, killing 15 persons. The ferry, carrying more than 100 passengers, was on its way from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist attraction famous for its cave temples.
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Crucial meeting between Telangana govt, Telugu film reps to ease 'soured' ties amid high stakes
Hyderabad (PTI): A crucial meeting between the Telangana government and Telugu film industry representatives is expected to be held on Thursday to thaw the speculated strained ties between the ruling dispensation and the tinseltown following the arrest of top actor Allu Arjun.
The 42 year-old star was arrested recently in connection with the stampede at a theatre here screening his latest movie "Pushpa: The Rule" that resulted in the death of a woman on December 4.
Telangana State Film Development Corporation (FDC) chairman and leading producer Dil Raju on Wednesday said a delegation of film personalities would call on state Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy today to foster "healthy relations" between the government and the industry.
The meeting assumes significance amid Cinematography minister Komatireddi Venkat Reddy's statement that the state government, in future, may consider ticket price hike only for certain categories such as films made on history, freedom struggle or anti-drugs or message oriented.
The state government's stand came in the wake of the death of a 35-year-old woman at Sandhya Theatre here due to suffocation where 'Pushpa 2' movie was screened on December 4.
The minister’s statement, if really implemented, will have a huge impact on the high budget films such as Ram Charan’s "Game Changer", Nandamuri Balakrishna's "Daaku Maharaj" and Venkatesh’s "Sankranthiki Vasthunnam" which are slated for release during Sankranti next year.
Directed by popular Director S Shankar, Game Changer was produced by Dil Raju. The film is reportedly made with a budget of nearly Rs 400 crore.
Though the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce welcomed the government's decision that it will not allow benefit shows of movies in the state and also enhanced ticket prices will be done on a case-to-case basis, the move may not go down well with the production houses as they usually look to reap the benefits during the early day of the film release.
The meeting is being organised on behalf of the FDC, Dil Raju had said, adding, he would act as a bridge between the government and the film fraternity.
Some ruling Congress leaders have found fault with Allu Arjun's comments last week, describing the stampede incident as purely accidental and denying the allegations made by CM Revanth Reddy on the "roadshow" before the film screening.
Hours after Reddy slammed the actor for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowds at the theatre, without referring to anyone, the 'Pushpa' star refuted the allegations, saying it was not a procession or a roadshow.
Allu Arjun was arrested by the city police in connection with the death of the woman on December 13.
The Telangana High Court granted him a four-week interim bail on the same day and he was released from a prison here on December 14 morning.
