Sourav Ganguly's brother, sister-in-law narrowly escape after boat capsizes in Odisha, accuse operators of greed: 'Will write to CM'

Several family members of former cricketer Sourav Ganguly had a narrow escape after a speedboat they were in flipped in the sea on Sunday. Ganguly's brother Snehasish and sister-in-law Arpita were on holiday in Puri and enjoying a water sport when the incident happened. A video, that has gone viral, shows the speedboat upside down in the sea waters as lifeguards worked on rescuing tourists using rubber floats.

Arpita accused the operators for the incident, saying the boat overturned as there were much lesser occupants than its capacity.
"The sea was already very rough. There was a capacity of 10 people on the boat, but due to the greed for money, they allowed only three to four people on board. This was the last boat to go into the sea for the day. We had raised concerns over going into the sea, but the operators told us that it is fine," she told the media. She added that as soon as they went into the sea, a huge wave struck their boat. "If the lifeguards had not come, we would not have been saved. I'm still in trauma."

Arpita called for a ban on water sports at the Puri Beach, stating she would write to the authorities to raise the issue. "Authorities should ban these sports here. Puri Beach has a very rough sea. I will write a letter to the Superintendent of Police and the Chief Minister once I go back to Kolkata (in West Bengal), asking them to stop watersports here," she said.

Coastal areas of Odisha are expected to receive heavy rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Many parts of the eastern state will likely receive moderate downpour from Monday through Friday. Meanwhile, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the deep sea along and off the Odisha coast.