At least 20 people were killed when a boat carrying tourists, including children, capsized on Sunday in southeast India’s Kerala state, according to authorities and media reports.

Twenty people have recovered so far, according to the Times of India newspaper and the PTI news agency. The Indian Express, for its part, reported 18 dead.

“I am saddened by the loss of life in a maritime accident at Malappuram in Kerala. Condolences to the families of the victims,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, promising compensation to the next of kin of the victims.

The accident occurred in Tanur, a coastal town in the Malappuram district of Kerala. The rescue operation is still ongoing.

According to V. Abdurahiman, the sports minister of Kerala who coordinated the rescue, most of the victims were children who were on school holidays. When it capsized, there were more than thirty people on board.

Four people, one in critical condition, were taken to hospital, Abdurahiman told PTI.

Survivors told Indian media that many of the passengers were not wearing life jackets.

The reason why the ship capsized is currently unknown.

Source: RES-IPE