Panama tragedy: Sukhbir urges Sushma to send team to US

The Punjab government on Monday urged PM Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to immediately dispatch a team to the US to assist the victims of Panama boat tragedy, in which 25 youths from the state are feared drowned.

“Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal today had a telephonic conversation with the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who assured that the government would reach out to the victims immediately,” an official spokesperson said. Badal said the Punjab government is also sending a team of senior officials to the US to trace out the survivors. Referring to the report that as many as 25 youths were feared dead as their boat capsized near Panama, Badal said it is “alarming”. The incident happened on January 10 and the victims’ parents got to know about it on January 12-13, he said.