Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Two Karnataka residents, Dhareppa Zirali (42) and Ibrahim Sab (35), were taken into custody by Panaji coastal security police on Thursday in relation to the Calangute boat disaster on Wednesday, which claimed one tourist’s life and injured five others.
Due to alleged negligence that resulted in one person’s death during the boat excursion, the Captain of Ports (CoP) suspended the passenger boat license GOA-824-WS. Additionally, the boat operator had overloaded the vessel, according to the CoP.
According to authorities, the boat was being operated by the apprehended accused, who were cited in a complaint.
Sarita Pophalkar, a resident of Mumbai, Maharashtra, has filed the case.
According to the authorities, the accused intentionally brought the complainant and her twelve family members on a boat journey in the sea.
The accused carelessly permitted an additional 18 to 20 tourists or people to board the same boat, overloading it to the point that it capsized while sailing the ocean. According to authorities, the complainant’s husband, 45-year-old Suryakant Pophalkar, died and five other family members suffered severe injuries when all of the passengers on the boat plunged into the sea.
“Your passenger boat no GOA-824-WS registered at Captain of Ports has been involved in an unfortunate accident off Calangute beach whereby your boat capsized and overturned causing one person to be killed and several other passengers to be injured,” reads the notice of license suspension.
According to the FIR marking 2/2024 dated 25.12.2024 that was filed with the Goa Police, it further notes that the complainant claimed that 12 of her family members and additional passengers (a total of 18–20) were on board at the time of the accident.
It ends by saying, “The operating NOC for your vessel no. GOA-824-WS is hereby suspended with immediate effect until further notice, as it appears that overloading caused the unfortunate incident of the vessel capsizing.”
