Safety audit of tourist ferries begin in Andamans

Two days after the ferry tragedy, the Andaman and Nicobar administration today began a safety audit of all ferries sailing in and around the islands following a direction of Lt Governor.
A technical team headed by the chief port administrator began verifying the registration and safety compliance of each private tourist ferry, said Rakesh Bali, secretary (IP&T), Andaman and Nicobar administration.
The Lt Governor Lt Gen (retd) A K Singh ordered the safety audit of all ferries sailing in and around the island under which safety standard of operating procedures were to be formulated and updated and compliance ensured, he said.

Meanwhile, additional district magistrate, South Andaman, began an inquiry into the ferry disaster under which the sequence of events and violation of operations would be pinpointed, Bali said.
Denying report of delay in launch of rescue operations, he said that as soon as the police control room and port control tower received information that the ferry was in danger, rescue vessels were immediately mobilised and reached the scene within 20 minutes.
Search operation for one missing person was still on, he said.
A total of 21 person had drowned when an overcrowded tourist ferry capsized in the Andaman Sea near here on Sunday.

Three persons were arrested for the disaster.