Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day

Speed-Gladiator · 9th October 2009, 11:18

It’s been a long time was thinking of a Thekkady trip and finaly we have decided to go on 30th September ( The tragic day in the history of Thekkady ever). We reached home town, Tiruvalla from Bangalore for a 10 day vacation on 26th morning by Train. Finished my Son’s “Vidyrambham” at Panachikkadu Devi temple on 28th early morning and we all were preparing for the trip.

30th morning we started around 8.15a.m towards Thekkady from Thiruvalla in my Scorpio which I recently bought (used one).I have taken the route, Tiruvalla, Karukachal, 14th mile, Kuttikanam, Kumali, Thekkady. We could reach Thekkady at 12.30p.m with few breaks. Some of the snaps are shared below.

Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-dsc04295.jpg

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Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-dsc04330.jpg

There was Rs 50 for the vehicle and Rs25 per person as the entry fee at Thekkady.Then we quickly finished our lunch. There we found KTDC and Forest Department have boating facility. For KTDC it was Rs 75 and Forest it was Rs 40 (Both are for the lower deck). We have taken the passes for the forest department boat and were ready for the boating at 2PM. Our boat started around 2.05 and could see everybody enjoying. There around 40 odd people were there in the boat including upper and lower deck. It was a new boat which started its service at 26 Aug 2009, which was mentioned in the boat itself. Whenever the people were seeing a small deer or a pig, they were making lot of noise and were coming towards one side for seeing them. That time we could feel like the boat is inclining towards one side and thought that it was natural and was not worried much.

Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-dsc04343.jpg

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Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-dsc04345.jpg

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Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-dsc04348.jpg

Then around 45mts later one boat was overtaking us and I clicked a snap too. It was Jalakanyaka” and I felt that boat was over speeding and he passed our boat quickly.

Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-dsc04354.jpg

He should have started at least 10- 15 mts later than our boat. When we were about to reach, we saw Jalakanayaka already started its last trip for the day. Eventually it was the last journey of most of people who were in that boat. They were enjoying and waving their hand at us from that boat without knowing the upcoming tragedy. Still I can’t forget those smiling faces.

esteem_lover · 9th October 2009, 11:47

Very sad. Because the carelessness on one person, many have lost their lives.

emkay456 · 9th October 2009, 11:57

Wow !! It must have been nerve wracking to be on the spot of such a disaster. I presume you left the place before the tragedy occurred. Is the pic you have upload of the boat, that of the boat leaving on its last trip ??

sj_koova · 9th October 2009, 12:00

The last pic is really touching.
Did you observe any tilt in the boat?

Speed-Gladiator · 9th October 2009, 12:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by emkay456

Wow !! It must have been nerve wracking to be on the spot of such a disaster. I presume you left the place before the tragedy occurred. Is the pic you have upload of the boat, that of the boat leaving on its last trip ??

Yea I left the place 1/2 hr before the tragedy, When we were are at kumali on the way to kattappana. I got the call from my brother in law from Dubai, and asking about the incident. That time I was not knowing that the accident was that much serious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sj_koova

The last pic is really touching.
Did you observe any tilt in the boat?

I couldnt find anything wrong with boat that time

KRRaj · 9th October 2009, 12:17

oh man!!! That last pic really makes me feel very sad :-( The earlier pics look awesome and beatiful and really nice set of wheels, but the last pic makes all pale ...

rjstyles69 · 9th October 2009, 12:27

Truly very tragic for the travelers on that boat. I was to leave to Vagamon on the 2nd of Oct' and my parents were dead against us going anywhere close thekkady. I would have loved to extend our trip and visit this place however my initial plans had to be called off.

emkay456 · 9th October 2009, 12:28

Just read that the Inspector of Boats Mr. Mathews has been arrested by the Police. It seems the boat has a 2.1 degrees tilt in idle condition !! That seems pronounced in your photograph too where the boat is travelling in a straight line but more of the underbelly is seen from the facing angle !! I seriously think your photograph needs to be supplied to the investigators as a piece of evidence.

vinaydas · 9th October 2009, 12:31

a week before the tragedy happened i was sitting in jalakanya itself

luckily we did not spot any herds or elephants on that day

I must say the boat was new and was pretty stable .

arunu · 9th October 2009, 12:46

Truly a tragic moment.
I still vividly remember my trip to Thekkady in 2005, when we were on similar (but very old) boat and whenever people sighted any wildlife all the people on the upper deck used to rush to one side and the boat completely leaned to one side. We were scared to death sitting on the lower deck and were praying hard that the boat would not topple sideways.
Never had the guts to go boating in Thekkay in my subsequent trekking expeditions.

jango · 9th October 2009, 12:47

I was in Thekkady a day before the tragic event and had also take a boat ride.

I am attaching a pic of the boat's convoy which i shot during the ride. ( kindly excuse the bad quality image as it was shot from my mobile )

Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-1.jpg

Majic · 9th October 2009, 12:53

Trajic, that it had to end that pleasure had to end in this manner, may the souls of those tourists rest in peace.

Sankar · 9th October 2009, 12:55

Man it was so unfortunate! The incident brought up a lot of malpractices and lack of safety norms and flouting of rules in the air issues inside KTDC.

The picture posted of the boat posted by OP is not the of the boat on it's last trip. Authorities say there were Nilkamal type platic chairs on the upper deck. But In OP's photo i see people standing and no chairs.

Wikipedia has the correct image and the boat's tilt is visible and so are the chairs.
2009 Thekkady boat disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day-predrowning_image.jpg

The following information is available from the exif of that photo (shot by a Harsh Tibarewala):
Camera Brand: SONY
Camera Model: DSC-W120
Date Taken: 2009:09:30 16:56:47
Exposure Time: 1/1599 sec.
ISO Speed Rating: 160
Flash Fired: Flash fired, compulsory flash mode, red-eye reduction mode, return light not detected.
Metering Mode: Pattern
Exposure Program: Normal program
Focal Length: 5.3 mm

May their souls RIP.

emkay456 · 9th October 2009, 13:00

The link to the newsreport regarding the arres of the Inspector is given below :

Kerala boat tragedy: Chief boat inspector arrested

emkay456 · 9th October 2009, 13:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sankar

Wikipedia has the correct image and the boat's tilt is visible and so are the chairs.
2009 Thekkady boat disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is some inaccuracy , dont think that is the boat. Please read the link of the newsreport on the arrest of the inspector posted by me. It is clearly mentioned that the boat had a listing of 2.9 degrees to the right. The photograph referred by you shows the boat listing to the left.

9th October 2009, 11:18	#1
Speed-Gladiator BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore, Tiruvalla Posts: 81 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Thekkady trip on 30th September! - The Tragic Day It’s been a long time was thinking of a Thekkady trip and finaly we have decided to go on 30th September ( The tragic day in the history of Thekkady ever). We reached home town, Tiruvalla from Bangalore for a 10 day vacation on 26th morning by Train. Finished my Son’s “Vidyrambham” at Panachikkadu Devi temple on 28th early morning and we all were preparing for the trip. 30th morning we started around 8.15a.m towards Thekkady from Thiruvalla in my Scorpio which I recently bought (used one).I have taken the route, Tiruvalla, Karukachal, 14th mile, Kuttikanam, Kumali, Thekkady. We could reach Thekkady at 12.30p.m with few breaks. Some of the snaps are shared below. There was Rs 50 for the vehicle and Rs25 per person as the entry fee at Thekkady.Then we quickly finished our lunch. There we found KTDC and Forest Department have boating facility. For KTDC it was Rs 75 and Forest it was Rs 40 (Both are for the lower deck). We have taken the passes for the forest department boat and were ready for the boating at 2PM. Our boat started around 2.05 and could see everybody enjoying. There around 40 odd people were there in the boat including upper and lower deck. It was a new boat which started its service at 26 Aug 2009, which was mentioned in the boat itself. Whenever the people were seeing a small deer or a pig, they were making lot of noise and were coming towards one side for seeing them. That time we could feel like the boat is inclining towards one side and thought that it was natural and was not worried much. Then around 45mts later one boat was overtaking us and I clicked a snap too. It was Jalakanyaka” and I felt that boat was over speeding and he passed our boat quickly. He should have started at least 10- 15 mts later than our boat. When we were about to reach, we saw Jalakanayaka already started its last trip for the day. Eventually it was the last journey of most of people who were in that boat. They were enjoying and waving their hand at us from that boat without knowing the upcoming tragedy. Still I can’t forget those smiling faces.
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 11:47	#2
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Very sad. Because the carelessness on one person, many have lost their lives.
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 11:57	#3
emkay456 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 388 Thanked: 7 Times	Wow !! It must have been nerve wracking to be on the spot of such a disaster. I presume you left the place before the tragedy occurred. Is the pic you have upload of the boat, that of the boat leaving on its last trip ??
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:00	#4
sj_koova BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 673 Thanked: 620 Times View My Garage	The last pic is really touching. Did you observe any tilt in the boat?
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:17	#6
KRRaj BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 514 Thanked: 35 Times View My Garage	oh man!!! That last pic really makes me feel very sad :-( The earlier pics look awesome and beatiful and really nice set of wheels, but the last pic makes all pale ...
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:27	#7
rjstyles69 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bengalooru.. Posts: 4,343 Thanked: 842 Times View My Garage	Truly very tragic for the travelers on that boat. I was to leave to Vagamon on the 2nd of Oct' and my parents were dead against us going anywhere close thekkady. I would have loved to extend our trip and visit this place however my initial plans had to be called off.
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:28	#8
emkay456 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 388 Thanked: 7 Times	Just read that the Inspector of Boats Mr. Mathews has been arrested by the Police. It seems the boat has a 2.1 degrees tilt in idle condition !! That seems pronounced in your photograph too where the boat is travelling in a straight line but more of the underbelly is seen from the facing angle !! I seriously think your photograph needs to be supplied to the investigators as a piece of evidence.
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:31	#9
vinaydas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,399 Thanked: 148 Times	a week before the tragedy happened i was sitting in jalakanya itself luckily we did not spot any herds or elephants on that day I must say the boat was new and was pretty stable .
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:46	#10
arunu BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Muscat, Oman Posts: 130 Thanked: 160 Times	Truly a tragic moment. I still vividly remember my trip to Thekkady in 2005, when we were on similar (but very old) boat and whenever people sighted any wildlife all the people on the upper deck used to rush to one side and the boat completely leaned to one side. We were scared to death sitting on the lower deck and were praying hard that the boat would not topple sideways. Never had the guts to go boating in Thekkay in my subsequent trekking expeditions.
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:47	#11
jango BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New York & kotayam Posts: 800 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	I was in Thekkady a day before the tragic event and had also take a boat ride. I am attaching a pic of the boat's convoy which i shot during the ride. ( kindly excuse the bad quality image as it was shot from my mobile )
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:53	#12
Majic BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 588 Thanked: 8 Times	Trajic, that it had to end that pleasure had to end in this manner, may the souls of those tourists rest in peace.
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 12:55	#13
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	Man it was so unfortunate! The incident brought up a lot of malpractices and lack of safety norms and flouting of rules in the air issues inside KTDC. The picture posted of the boat posted by OP is not the of the boat on it's last trip. Authorities say there were Nilkamal type platic chairs on the upper deck. But In OP's photo i see people standing and no chairs. Wikipedia has the correct image and the boat's tilt is visible and so are the chairs. 2009 Thekkady boat disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The following information is available from the exif of that photo (shot by a Harsh Tibarewala): Camera Brand: SONY Camera Model: DSC-W120 Date Taken: 2009:09:30 16:56:47 Exposure Time: 1/1599 sec. ISO Speed Rating: 160 Flash Fired: Flash fired, compulsory flash mode, red-eye reduction mode, return light not detected. Metering Mode: Pattern Exposure Program: Normal program Focal Length: 5.3 mm May their souls RIP. Last edited by Sankar : 9th October 2009 at 12:57.
	() Thanks

9th October 2009, 13:00	#14
emkay456 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 388 Thanked: 7 Times	The link to the newsreport regarding the arres of the Inspector is given below : Kerala boat tragedy: Chief boat inspector arrested
	() Thanks