Tamil Nadu: 8 tourists dead after boat capsizes in Tuticorin

Tuticorin: Eight tourists drowned while17 others were rescued after the fishing boat ferrying them capsized off Manappadu near here in the Bay of Bengal, a senior official said.

"I do not know how many tourists were travelling in the boat. Eight people have drowned and 17 others have been rescued and hospitalised," Tuticorin District Collector M Ravi Kumar said.

Those rescued were admitted to private and government hospitals in the district, he said.

Asked about reports that boat was carrying people in excess of its capacity, Kumar said only a detailed probe would throw light on it, as also on the reasons for the capsize.