Video: Official arguing with boat driver hours before the Krishna river tragedy

Hyderabad: Video footage of a government official having a heated argument with the inexperienced boat driver warning him from taking passengers on board has surfaced now after hours of the tragedy, that killed nearly 21 people yesterday after the boat carrying 41 people on board capsized in the river Krishna.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHe0DlM0S2w
The official is from the Tourism department pleads the passengers to take other ferry’s warning that the boat does not have clearance to operate. It is now clear that the tragedy could have been avoided had the boat driver listened to the officials warning.
It was only hours later after the official had the heated argument with the boat driver, the boat had capsized turning over, at a distance of 15 miles from Vijaywada city.
District administrative chief B. Lakshmikantham says the boat’s operator was a private firm and that it did not have the necessary permission to ferry people.
According to the investigators, the boat was recently repaired and should have been taken for test drive before ferrying any passengers.
The driver reportedly had no license or experience or even the map journey he was making to the designated spot which was about 12 kms away where the Krishna and Godavari rivers meet.
Many survivors who have been rescued by the fishermen said they did ask for life jackets but the driver told them it was not required.
Seeing the argument between the official and the boatmen investigations are now being carried out to know if the official’s seniors had any role in allowing the boat to operate.
According to one of the survivors, the boat overturned when the boat made the turn the driver could not control and lost the balance of the boat.
Investigators say that the passengers may have stood up for a better view of the aarti and the driver could not stop the boat from overturning.
A survivor named Lakshmi said she couldn’t breathe or see anything under water, the boat was on top of passengers like her. “It’s a miracle I was pulled out alive,” she said.
According to the Sources, the private boat service was owned secretly and was also involved with the tourism department officials.