123 Bhubaneswar: A leisurely boat ride nearly turned into a death trap for Cricket Association of Bengal president Snehasish Ganguly and his wife Arpita, when the vessel capsized in the rough sea near Puri's Light House beach.
The couple, along with three other tourists, were about 100 metres from the shore when a massive wave struck their speedboat, flipping it. Swift action by alert lifeguards prevented the adventure boat ride from turning tragic. While the incident took place on Saturday evening, the matter came to light on Monday when video footage emerged of the incident, prompting the Puri district administration to launch a probe.
"I have been coming to Puri for 31 years, but never experienced anything like this. We owe our lives to the blessings of Lord Jagannath and Maa Chandi, and the brave lifeguards who rushed to our rescue," said Snehasish, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly's elder brotherNarrating their 20-minute ordeal, Arpita said, "It is a second life for us. We are still in trauma. For those terrifying moments under the capsized boat, we had given up all hope.
"She said the sea was rough and the waves were towering over them. "Even though it was a 10-seater boat, there were just four or five of us. Before boarding the speedboat, I had asked the operator whether it was safe to venture into the sea in such inclement weather. The greedy operator assured us it was safe," said Arpita, who intends to write to the Odisha CM and Puri SP to strengthen safety measures.
Lifeguard G Appa Rao said the tourists were lucky it was not dark and the incident happened close to the shoreline. "Had the incident happened far into the sea, it could have been fatal.
"Panchanan Reddy, another lifeguard, said at least 15 of them rushed to the sea and pulled back the tourists to safety. "Such a boat capsize incident had never occurred in Puri sea, though drowning incidents happen regularly. We keep saving 5-10 tourists every day," he said.
Following the incident, Puri district administration ordered a probe. "We have launched a thorough investigation. While the operator had necessary permits, we are examining if any safety protocols had been breached or not. Action will be taken," Puri district collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said, lauding the lifeguards for their prompt response.