The Sri Lanka Navy rescued 10 people after a passenger boat travelling from Kurikadduwan to Delft Island capsized in waters off Nagadeepa on Sunday evening. No loss of life was reported.

The boat left the Kurikadduwan jetty in Jaffna at about 3.30 p.m. and was due at Delft by 5.30 p.m., Hiru News reported. When it failed to arrive on schedule, the Navy made inquiries and the incident came to light. Hiru placed the accident near Nagadeepa island at around 5.30 p.m.

Those on board were a group on a pilgrimage, according to Hiru News.

How many were on board

The passenger count shifted as the story developed. Ada Derana first reported that a boat carrying eight people had gone missing on the route, two of them boat operators, and that the Navy had launched a search. Its later report put the number rescued at 10.

Daily Mirror’s account reconciles the two figures: it reported that the vessel was carrying eight passengers and two operators — 10 in all — and that every one of them was brought to safety.

Taken to hospital

The rescued were first admitted to the Nagadeepa hospital and later transferred to the Jaffna General Hospital, the Navy Media Spokesperson told Hiru News. Daily Mirror named the receiving facility as the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, the same institution under its official name.

Warnings were in place

All three outlets attribute the accident to rough seas and adverse weather on the route. The Navy said the group had set out despite warnings issued for the prevailing sea conditions, Hiru reported. Daily Mirror likewise reported that the vessel proceeded towards Delft in spite of weather warnings for the area.

The Kurikadduwan–Delft crossing is the main link between the mainland and Delft, one of Sri Lanka’s remote northern islands, and carries both residents and pilgrims visiting the Nagadeepa temple.

The rescue follows a run of maritime incidents in the same waters and off the western coast, including an Indian trawler grounded near Delft earlier this month and a Navy fast attack craft accident off Angulana on Saturday.

Update, August 17: Fisheries Ministry orders an investigation

The Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources has launched an investigation into the accident, NewsFirst reported on Monday.

Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar has instructed officials to submit a detailed report on the cause, NewsFirst said. He also directed them to establish whether sufficient life jackets had been provided to those on board and whether proper safety procedures were followed.

The Minister further instructed officials to enforce maritime safety procedures strictly to protect passengers, and to take steps to prevent similar incidents.

NewsFirst confirmed the passenger breakdown reported by Daily Mirror — two operators and eight other passengers, 10 in all, every one of them rescued by the Navy and taken to hospital. It renders the departure point as the “Kurikattuwan” jetty, a variant of the Kurikadduwan spelling used by the other outlets.

No cause has yet been formally established, and no timeline has been given for the Ministry’s report.

Sources