At least 17 people die as tourist boat capsizes in India, dozens more missing

17 die as tourist boat capsizes in southern India

NEW DELHI — A boat carrying 75 tourists capsized on a reservoir in southern India on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people and leaving dozens missing, police said.

The state-owned boat was traveling in the remote Thekkady forest area in Kerala state and capsized after the tourists rushed to one side as they spotted some animals in the forest, tilting the vessel dangerously, said police officer R. Rajesh.

Rescuers have fished out 17 bodies from the reservoir and were looking for 38 other missing tourists, police officer D.K. Vijay said.

Rajesh said 20 people have been rescued so far and taken to the hospital.

Most of the tourists were from the neighboring state of Karnataka, he told The Associated Press.

The site of the accident is nearly 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) south of New Delhi. Kerala is a popular tourist destination for both Indians and foreigners with luxury resorts on the sparkling backwaters.

Boat accidents are common in India, where many vessels are unsafe and overloaded.