Judge inspects boat mishap spot

CUMBUM: Retired Judge E Moideenkunju, appointed to probe the boat tragedy that took place in Thekkady reservoir in September 2009, on Wednesday, inspected the mishap site.A tourist boat ‘Jala Kannika,’ owned by the Department of Tourism of the Kerala Government, capsized on September 30, 2009. Forty five persons were drowned in the incident. Last year, the Kerala government appointed a one-man commission under Moideenkunju to probe the same. On Wednesday, Moideenkunju visited the accident site, accompanied by Joint Commissioner of IRS Sureshkumar and others and examined the spot as well as the boat. Later, they proceeded for about 10 km into the reservoir by boat, where Moideenkunju ordered the underwater cameramen to take pictures of the plants under water at the spot where the boat capsized. Underwater videographers and cameramen from the Kochi naval base dived into the water and took photographs. Moideenkunju monitored the entire exercise through a video facility from his boat. Later, he said that the underwater experts had explained to him that there was a cluster of roots and stumps of trees in the spot and that could have possibly caused the accident. However, within a radius of 10 metres where the mishap took place, there were no roots or tree stumps.