Tragedy struck a group of tourists on Wednesday evening when about 30 of them drowned after the boat they were travelling in capsized in Thekkady lake in Keralas [ Images ] Idukki district while 40 others were rescued.

The boat, with about 80 passengers onboard, mostly tourists from outside Kerala, sank after cruising five km from the boarding point from where it had set out around 4 pm.

The deceased included eight women and six children, Idukki SP Chellappan said, adding all the 20 bodies have been recovered.

Forty people were rescued and the condition of six of them was stated to be critical, district officials said.

The tourists on Kerala Tourism Development Corporations Jalakanyaka boat were on a tour of the wildlife sanctuary along the lake.
Sources living near the spot told rediff.com that there had been heavy winds at the time of the tragedy and this could also have been a reason for the mishap.
The police and the naval divers are still searching for those missing in the lake.
State Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said officials of the district administration and forest department had reached the site and rescue operations were on.�

Besides state forces, a team of 40-50 navy divers have been rushed to the spot from the Southern Naval Command at Kochi, 150 km from the lake, naval sources said.

The injured had been rushed to nearby hospitals, officials said.

This is a first major boat tragedy in the state after the boat carrying school children capsized at the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary in Ernakulam district a few years back which claimed 22 lives, most of them primary students.
Official sources said the possibility of foreign tourists being among the victims could not be ruled out.

Top police officials said several boats with rescue guards and generators for providing light had been sent to the spot where the boat sank, they said.

Expressing shock over the tragedy, Defence Minister A K Antony said from New Delhi [ Images ] that navy and other forces had been instructed to render all possible help in the rescue work.
Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan and leader of the state opposition Oomen Chandy has requested the Union government to provide the necessary naval resources from their base at Kochi.
The defense ministers office told rediff.com that naval divers had been deployed for the operations.
With agency inputs

MUMBAI: This is a bizarre bail plea in
a bizarre crime case.

A 26-year-old taxi driver, charged with having
sexual intercourse with a dog, told a sessions court that he should be given
bail because the police was not in a position to record the victim’s
statement.

Mahesh Kamat was arrested from Tardeo on August 30 and
booked under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code [IPC]. It deals with offences
relating to ”unnatural sex”; cops also slapped him
with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [PCA] Act.

However, Kamat
- in custody since his arrest – pleaded that the PCA was not
applicable to him as the dog he was charged of having intercourse with was a
‘’stray” and not a ”pet dog”.
He also said that he had been falsely implicated in the case.

The
court though turned down the plea saying there was enough evidence against him.
Moreover, it said that Kamat’s alleged offence had disturbed the residents
of the area and the act amounted to cruelty to an animal.

Cops have
also collected DNA and forensic evidence in a bid to nail him in
court.

September 15, 2009

Adam Gorney

Special to Rivals High

MORE: High School top 100 football teams |Super son: Check out Barry Sanders’ kidLet’s get one thing straight: The kid can play golf.At least he could at age 12, when he shot a 77 during just the second round he played.But if Nick O’Leary of Dwyer High in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is going to make a name for himself in the sports world, he’ll do it on the football field.At least that’s what his famous grandfather thinks.”Nick is such a natural [athlete],” Jack Nicklaus said about one of his 21 grandchildren. “From the time that kid was 5-6 years old – if they put him in the outfield in baseball, at the crack of the bat he would be on it. You don’t teach somebody that.”In football, if he can touch it, he catches it. If the ball is in the air, he’s going to be the first one there.”His coach, Jack Daniels, says O’Leary has “the best hands I’ve ever seen on a high school player.”College recruiters seem to agree. As of last week, O’Leary – a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior who is expected to be one of the nation’s best tight ends in the 2011 recruiting class – already had received written scholarship offers from Florida, South Carolina, Miami, Tennessee, West Virginia, Boston College and Florida International.Interest has picked up from Ohio State [his grandfather's alma mater], USF, UCF and Wisconsin. O’Leary also said Georgia recently sent correspondence. The amount of early recruiting attention has caught the family by surprise.”He came home [last] week with a half-dozen offers from schools in the first week they could talk to him and Nan, his mother, called me [Friday] morning and said, ‘Gosh, I knew he was pretty good, but I didn’t expect it this fast,’ ” Nicklaus said. “We have to work on keeping his head screwed on properly and have him focus on what he has to do and play his sport and enjoy it.”One thing seems to be established: O’Leary doesn’t go out of his way to promote the family name – even if his first name is spelled Nicklaus rather than the traditional Nicholas.Wide receiver Robert Clark, a 2010 West Virginia commitment, says you won’t hear O’Leary talking about it.”Somebody has to talk about him for Nick to say something about him,” he said. “He doesn’t bring him up.”Dwyer defensive end Curt Maggitt, a 2011 recruit and a close friend of O’Leary’s said he didn’t truly understand O’Leary’s background until he spend some time with him this summer in the Bahamas and used Nicklaus’ boat.”He’s just like another guy,” Maggitt said. “He never brags or boasts about what he’s got. I’m from a lower standard from where he is, but he never downgrades the next person.”When he first got to Dwyer, it was crazy. A lot of people would come up to him and ask him about that. He doesn’t want to be known for that. He wants to be his own person.”Don’t be confused: O’Leary values his relationship with his grandfather. They live only a few miles apart and talk often.”He’s always telling me to work harder and to push myself to be a great athlete,” O’Leary said. “He’s my grandpa, so I’m talking to him all the time. He’s not always talking to me about [football] all the time, really. It’s just talk.”That’s the way Jack likes it.”Can I give him advice? Sure. But do I? No,” Nicklaus said. “If he asks about different stuff, we talk about it. I just give him encouragement and try to be a supportive grandfather.” When it comes to football, O’Leary [who had 27 catches for 522 yards and six TDs last season] seems to get most of his advice from his coaches. He gets his inspiration from fellow tight end Gerald Christian, a 2010 recruit headed to Florida.”I just need to work hard in practice every day, work hard in the offseason just get my skills better,” he said. “[Gerald] works hard all the time and he’s going to a big school and that’s what I’ve always wished to do is go to a big school.”Nicklaus enjoys watching from a distance. He says it’s important for him to watch Nick’s games and take in the activities of his other 20 grandchildren whenever his busy schedule permits. Being in south Florida during football season is vital; he’s a regular at Dwyer games and sometimes stops by practices.Nicklaus also says he thinks grandparents should take a backseat and allow parents to be the dominant forces in their children’s life.Don’t be confused, his parents have plenty to do with his seemingly natural athletic ability, too.O’Leary’s dad, Bill, played football at Georgia; his mom, Nan [Nicklaus' daughter] played volleyball at the school.Which begs the next question: Where will he go to college?O’Leary, who also is a top punter, can rattle off schools like his grandfather can rattle off major titles:”USF, UCF, Wisconsin, Ohio State a lot, Miami, Tennessee a little bit, Florida …” he said.It figures to be a tough decision – perhaps even harder than most recruits in his class due to his family ties.Nicklaus said he truly doesn’t care where his grandson goes to college as long as he makes the best choice for himself.”From a selfish standpoint, Florida would be great because it’s close,” Nicklaus said. “He wouldn’t have to live up to his father or me. Ohio State would be great because I’d love to see him go there. Georgia would be great because of his father. It really doesn’t make a difference to me.”That decision, however, is in the future. O’Leary has other things on his mind this season at Dwyer which is 1-1 after 46-0 victory over cross-town rival Palm Beach Gardens last weekend.”I’m hoping for a state championship,” he said. “I know we have the talent, we have the guys, I’m just hoping for a state championship. We just have to keep working for it.”Adam Gorney covers the University of Florida on the Rivals.com network at gatorbait.net.THE NETWORK: Rivals site for your state | Follow RivalsHigh on Twitter

Dirty Dancing film star Patrick Swayze has died aged 57, his publicist says.Annett Wolf said that the US actor, who had been battling pancreatic cancer for nearly two years, died with family at his side on Monday. Swayze was diagnosed with advanced stage four pancreatic cancer in January last year. The actor had been starring in US TV show The Beast since being diagnosed with the disease. He had also planned to write a memoir with his wife.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement by Annett Wolf quoted by the Associated Press. No other details were given. Jennifer Grey, who co-starred with Swayze in Dirty Dancing, said in a statement: "Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace. Gorgeous and strong, he was a real cowboy with a tender heart. "He was fearless and insisted on always doing his own stunts, so it was not surprising to me that the war he waged on his cancer was so courageous and dignified."

Rob Lowe, who played in a number of films with Swayze, said: "Patrick lived a thousand lifetimes in one lifetime. He was an expert dancer, he wrote hit songs, he starred in hit movies, he was an amazing horseman. "But the thing I will remember him most for was his amazing love affair with his wife Lisa." Ashton Kutcher, whose wife Demi Moore co-starred with Swayze in Ghost, wrote on Twitter: "RIP P Swayze." Greg Kilday, the film editor for Hollywood Reporter, said Swayze was "in the tradition of a performer like Gene Kelly, who invested dance and romance with a real masculine athletic appeal". Swayze’s dreamIn January, Swayze admitted he might only have two years to live, but denied he was near death. In a US TV interview, he admitted he was "scared" and "going through hell". "Am I dying? Am I giving up? Am I on my death bed? Am I saying goodbye to people? No way," Swayze told TV interviewer Barbara Walters. "I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, not lived in the shadow of cancer but in the light," he said. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most virulent forms of cancer which medical experts say has a 5% five-year survival rate. What are your memories of Patrick Swayze? How do you think he will be remembered? Please send us your thoughts using the form below.In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.

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