Friday, March 31 2006 19:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Manama (Bahrain): Eighteen Indians, including two women, were among 57 people killed after a traditional wooden boat on a dinner cruise with 137 passengers aboard capsized off the coast of Bahrain, officials said today (Mar 31, 2006).

Thirty-six others, including 17 Indians, were injured when the boat overturned around 9.30 pm last night (0000 hrs IST) about one kilometre from a causeway connecting two islands in the Gulf state.

All but three injured Indians have been discharged from hospital, a spokesman of the Indian embassy here said.

Sixty-seven people were rescued while 13 others were still missing and an operation by the Bahrain Coast Guard, in cooperation with the American Navy, was on to locate them.

Thirty Indians were among those rescued.

The embassy spokesman did not rule out the possibility of the Indian toll going up as 10 bodies were yet to be identified. The two Indian women who died were identified as Mrs Nag Bhushan Pilla and Siru Arby.

The Indian captain of the boat, who also sustained injuries, was detained by police for questioning after he was administered first aid in the hospital.

The cause of the mishap was not yet known and the Bahrain Coast Guard was investigating the incident.

The passengers of the boat worked for the same company and were on an evening dinner cruise to celebrate completion of a project.