At least 31 people die as tourist boat capsizes in India, dozens more missing

31 die as tourist boat capsizes in southern India

NEW DELHI — A boat carrying 74 tourists capsized on a reservoir in southern India on Wednesday, killing at least 31 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 elephants in a wildlife sanctuary, tilting the vessel over, said police officer R. Rajesh.

Rescuers have fished out 31 bodies from the reservoir and were looking for 23 other missing tourists, police officer Rajesh told The Associated Press.

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

However, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted a district official as saying that 40 people were either rescued or they swam ashore and another three were missing.

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.