Water sports suspended in Goa after tragedy at sea
After this week’s tragic drowning of three Russian tourists off the Goa coastline, the state government has blocked all further water sports activities in the state.
On Tuesday three Russian women died after a boat capsized off Goa’s Canaguinim beach during a dolphin watching trip.
The boat was carrying a total of 10 Russian tourists and investigations concluded it was operating without a valid permit, Goa Tourism Director Amey Abhyankar.
"The incident involving drowning of three Russian tourists is very unfortunate. The capsized boat was operating without permissions and an FIR has been registered against the boat operator," Abhyankar told reporters.
"All water sports operators and owners are hereby directed to stop all water sports operations and activities on the designated beaches of Goa, with immediate effect, until further order," the tourism department said.
Although the department has registered and issued permits for 1,500 operators on Goa’s beaches, there are many more operating illegally.
Officials said none of the boat’s passengers were wearing mandatory life jackets at the time.
The bodies of the three victims have been formally identified as Nikolaeva Tatiana, Bulastova Irina and Elena Kulikova.
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