Boat capsizes in Vadodara | Couple who became parents after 17 years lose both children in tragedy

Speaking to The Indian Express, a relative of the couple said the two children were first rushed to a private hospital after being pulled out of the lake but could not be resuscitated. “They were born after 17 years of marriage of their parents… The parents had offered prayers at various shrines for years before they were blessed with the two children,” the relative added.

According to relatives, the father of the children was in the United Kingdom and is now travelling to Vadodara.

Mufti Imran, a cleric from Panigate Masjid, said the family has completed formalities at the SSG Hospital where both the bodies underwent postmortem examinations. “The family will collect the bodies of the two children tomorrow after their father arrives to accord them a burial,” he added.

The New Sunrise school, where the siblings studied, is run by Neville Wadia, who is known in Vadodara social circles for his love for cricket. Wadia has his name registered in the Guinness World Record for being the oldest cricketer to score a century, although he never had a professional cricketing career.

The website of the school has pictures of Wadia and other trustees posing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had met them during his visit to Vadodara in June 2022. It also has photographs of the trustees with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and BJP MP from Anand, Mitesh Patel, on its events page.