The Kerala High Court on Tuesday initiated proceedings on its own in connection with a boat accident in the state’s Malappuram district in which 22 persons were killed, Live Law reported.

The tragedy occurred on Sunday night when the double-decker tourist boat capsized in an estuary close to the Thoovaltheeram beach at Tanur, a coastal town in Malappuram. The authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident but passengers who were rescued said that the boat was overcrowded. Most of the passengers also did not have life jackets.

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On Tuesday, a bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Shobha Eapen observed that it was necessary for the judiciary to intervene in the case to ensure that the tragedy is not ignored.

“The final loss is for the citizens and no other, because instances like this are erased from memory soon,” the judges said.

The court also said that the compensation paid to the victims should be recovered from officers who are responsible for such tragedies.

After the accident on Sunday, Indian Union Muslim League MLA KPA Majeed had said that the tourist boat service had only been launched recently in Tanur and lacked safety measures.

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On Tuesday, the High Court said that the accident was a result of “the deadly cocktail of callousness, greed and official apathy”, PTI reported.

“Why didn’t anyone know that there was overloading happening?” Justice Ramachandran asked. “[The] police were not there. No supervision at all. You let the private operator do whatever they want.”

The judges said that their “hearts were bleeding” and they “underwent sleepless nights” after seeing the bodies of the children.

They also expressed concern that such accidents could occur elsewhere as well since tourist boat services are available in many parts of the southern state.

On Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced a judicial inquiry into the accident after allegations of safety norms being flouted emerged.