Mangaluru: NRI's 2-year-old son drowns as boat capsizes at Panambur beach

October 5, 2016

Mangaluru, Oct 5: In a gut-wrenching tragedy, a two-and-half-year-old boy drowned when a speedboat capsized at Panambur beach in Mangaluru on Wednesday evening.

The victim, Mohammed Sadan, was one of the seven family members on board the ill-fated boat that sank due to some technical snag.

Even though the lifeguards helped the six others to reach ashore safe, they failed to rescue the little boy. His parents Shami Ilahi and Fathima, residents of Natekal near Deralakatte were among the rescued.

Shami Ilahi, an NRI, who had recently come to Indian on a vacation, took his family members to the beach on Wednesday evening. The family decided to enjoy a boat ride before returning home.

All of them were given life jackets before boarding the boat. As there was no small size life jacket, the little boy also was given adults' life jacket. When the boat sank the child slipped from his parents' hands. As soon as he fell into the sea, the life jacket also slipped from his body.

Negligence by lifeguards?

The family members and beach goers held lifeguards responsible for the tragedy. Had the lifeguards started rescue operation without delay the boy could have been saved, said Haneef, one of the family members. The boy's body washed ashore after several hours of search by coastal security police and lifeguards.

Comments

innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raajiwoon.....even parents need to be held responsible rather than blaming life guards... how could they carry such a small child to sea??

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raajivoon.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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