NEW DELHI: 13 people died, 101 others were rescued after a ferry capsized while en route to Elephanta Island from Mumbai’s iconic Gateway of India, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis informed on Wednesday.
The Neelkamal ferry, was on way to Elephanta Islands, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai, when the speed boat circled it before crashing into it.
The incident happened when a naval speed-craft undergoing trials in the sea went out of control and rammed into the ferry. The naval boat’s engine had been recently changed and the new engine was being tested. The engine got stuck in full throttle and the boat went out of control and rammed into the ferry Neelkamal. The naval boat had 6 persons on board including 2 naval personnel and 4 members from the firm which had supplied the engine.
Also read: How navy speedboat rammed into Mumbai ferry leaving at least 13 dead – What we know so far
According to the reports, the ferry had over 110 people on board including 20 children while the naval boat had six individuals, including two Navy personnel and four staff members.
Rescue efforts were launched in coordination between the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Police. The operation involves 11 Navy boats, three Marine Police boats, and one Coast Guard vessel actively searching the area. Additionally, four helicopters have been deployed for Search and Rescue (SAR) operations to locate any remaining passengers.
Fadnavis said that the ferry capsized after a speed boat, reportedly belonging to either the Navy or the Coast Guard, lost control and collided with it.
Fadnavis declared financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of victims of the “extremely unfortunate” tragedy from the CM’s Relief Fund. PM Modi too declared Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of victims of the tragedy.
CISF Jawans rescue 56 using pilot boat
CISF jawans rescued 56 individuals after a ferry collided with a Navy craft off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday. The CISF said that its personnel reached the accident site, near Butcher Island—approximately 6 km from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPA)—using a patrolling boat.
The CISF’s patrolling boat and the pilot boat SHM-XXIII rescued 56 individuals, who were then transported to the JNPA landing jetty.
Despite the accident site being beyond JNPA’s regular patrolling limits, CISF boats were immediately dispatched upon receiving information from Port Control. “All possible assistance was provided at the JNPA landing jetty to ensure the safe transfer of passengers needing medical care to JNPA Hospital,” the CISF statement added.
Passenger on ferry recounts horror
When 45-year-old Ganesh spotted a speedboat-like craft rushing toward the ferry he was standing on, a chilling thought crossed his mind: the inevitable was about to happen—and it did.
“The boat, which later turned out to be a naval craft, was moving in circles in the Arabian Sea, while our ferry was on its way to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist attraction near Mumbai. I had boarded the ferry around 3:30 pm,” Ganesh told PTI.
“There was a brief thought in my mind that the naval craft could hit our boat, and it happened within the next few seconds,” said Ganesh, who was standing on the deck of the ill-fated Neel Kamal ferry.
The eyewitness, a Hyderabad native, was among the first of the 99 passengers rescued after the collision. He noted that there were over 100 passengers, including children, on board the ferry at the time of the accident.
