Fire aboard passenger ship to Lakshadweep islands doused
The Hindu
Crew, passengers safe
KOCHI A fire broke out in the engine room of the passenger vessel MV Kavaratti operated by the Lakshadweep Development Corporation Ltd (LDCL) while it was sailing to Androth island from Kavaratti around noon on Wednesday.
The fire was doused and all 322 passengers on board are safe, according to sources. “But the vessel is stranded off Androth and its engine has been shut down. There’s total power outage on the vessel,” they said.
Having reached Kavaratti on Wednesday from Kochi, the vessel was sailing to Androth and Kalpeni islands. It was to leave Kalpeni on Thursday for Kadmat and Agatti islands before returning to Kavaratti.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.