2 bodies retrieved from river after boat tragedy; one missing

The bodies of two out of the three missing persons, including a woman, have been retrievedfrom the Kollidam river where a boat carrying 38 people capsized, police said on Friday.

The bodies of Rani (40) and Suyamprakasam have been recovered while the body ofPalanisamy was still missing, they said.

Fire service personnel were searching for it, they added.

On Thursday, the boat carrying the 38 people, who were returning from a temple festival in the district, capsized while crossing Kollidam river, police had said.

While 24 people had managed to swim to safety, 11 held on to the boat.

However, residents of Melaramanallur village, where the incident occurred on Wednesday night, rescued them, they said.

All the 11 were admitted to a nearby Primary Health Care centre.

The boat overturned due to excess weight, fire service personnel said.