Headline

At Least 22 Dead After India Boat Capsizes

Published

3 years ago

May 8, 2023

At least 22 people died when a tourist boat capsized in India, officials said Monday, with many of those on board thought to be children.

It was not clear why the double-decker boat carrying at least 30 people tipped over in the southern state of Kerala’s Malappuram district late Sunday.

Dozens of people searched for survivors in and around the stricken vessel all night, which was partially submerged, and the search continued into Monday.

Some used ropes to stabilise the boat while others were in the water, desperately looking inside the vessel’s windows for any survivors.

“We have recovered 22 bodies, including 15 females and seven males. There are around six people in the hospital. Rescue operations are on,” a police officer told AFP.

Local publication Onmanorama reported that 11 people from one family, including three children, had died in the accident.

Rajisa, who was on the boat with her husband and daughter, told the publication most of the passengers on board were children and that there was smoke coming from the boat during the journey.

“We survived only because we were wearing life jackets,” Rajisa, who bruised her neck after hitting the boat, was quoted as saying.

She said three life jackets were brought to her and her family, and four jackets were given to children on the boat’s top deck.

“The boat swerved sometime after it set sail. Everyone was thrown off to one side as the boat wobbled,” she told Onmanorama.

“I fell before my child and sank into the water. The boat overturned on top of the people who had fallen into the water. There were mostly children on the boat,” she said.

Broadcaster NDTV said rescue teams, including personnel from National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard, were using underwater cameras to look for those still missing.

VD Satheesan, a politician from the opposition Congress party in the state, said the accident was “man-made” and called for a probe.

“Nobody even knows if the boat had a licence or not,” he said Monday, speaking to reporters.

“A case has been registered against the boat’s owner for alleged culpable homicide,” media reports said.

Kerala’s sports and fisheries minister V. Abdurahiman, who was helping to coordinate rescue efforts, said most of the victims were children on school holidays.

Police said that there were around 30 people on board.

But NDTV reported that 40 people had tickets, although there were many others on the vessel who did not.

Abdurahiman said four people were taken to hospital in critical condition, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

“Pained by the loss of lives due to the boat mishap in Malappuram, Kerala. Condolences to the bereaved families,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter, adding that families would get compensation.

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

1 hour ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.