Houseboat catches fire in Alappuzha; no casualties

CHERTHALA: A houseboat named Oceanus caught fire in the middle of the Vembanad lake on Thursday noon. Fortunately, a tragedy was avoided as all the 16 tourists in the houseboat managed to escape as the fire was noticed at an early stage.

The incident occurred near Pathiramanal island by Thursday noon. According to reports, the passengers and crew jumped into the water after they were alerted of a fire by a crew member. Authorities of the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) acted immediately and rescued the tourists by sending boats.

The houseboat was completely destroyed by the fire. It is believed that the fire was caused by a short circuit.