21 die, 13 rescued as tourist boat sinks off India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1/26/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI — A boat carrying local tourists capsized Sunday in India’s Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal, killing 21 people, officials said.

Thirteen were rescued, said top Administrator P. Jawahar. Rescuers were looking for another nine people believed to be missing, CNN-IBN television news channel reported.

The boat sank off the eastern Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and initial reports said the tourists were all Indians.

Jawahar said authorities were investigating the cause of the sinking.

Accidents are common in India as many ferries are poorly built and often overcrowded, with little regard for safety regulations.