4 schoolchildren drown in India as boat capsizes

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI, India (AA) - At least four children died on Saturday after a boat carrying 40 schoolchildren capsized in the Arabian Sea, 135 kilometers (83.8 miles) from Mumbai city in western Mahrashtra state, said officials.

According to local media reports, 32 children have been rescued by local fishermen and administration. The students were on a picnic when they boarded the boat. They were not wearing any life jackets and the boat was overcrowded.

Manjunath Singe, the district superintendent, confirmed the death toll to Anadolu Agency over the phone.

In a separate incident, at least five people were killed in a chopper crash in Mumbai.

Two pilots and five officials of the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) were on board when it crashed off the Mumbai coast.

The wreckage was found along with five bodies, said the Indian navy in a tweet from its official account.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation comes under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.