Mumbai: A day after a Navy speedboat rammed a ferry off Mumbai’s coast, the toll rose to 14 following the recovery of the body of a 43-year-old Malad resident, Hansraj Bhati.
The search for seven-year-old Johan Pathan – the other missing passenger – continues even as police and naval authorities probe the reasons behind the collision and identity of the person handling the speedboat. The high-velocity vessel had recently undergone engine replacement and was being tested.
On Thursday, Maharashtra Maritime Board began enforcing rules mandating life jackets for passengers and crew on ferries. Colaba police confirmed that the boat, Neel Kamal, which sank had capacity for 84 passengers plus six crew but was overloaded and carrying over 100.
Boat operators, however, questioned the Navy’s reluctance to stop the practice of carrying out tests of their vessels in the ferry navigation area.
Officials on Thursday confirmed that of the 14 killed in the collision off Gateway, post-mortem on 10 from the ferry headed for Elephanta was conducted at Indira Gandhi rural hospital in Uran. The bodies were handed over to their families for final rites, said hospital superintendent Dr B M Kalel. Post-mortems of a naval sailor and three employees of a private firm, who were on the speedboat which lost control and collided with the ferry, were performed at JJ Hospital on Thursday.
According to Colaba police, which registered an FIR against the speedboat driver for causing death by negligence, they will write to the Navy for details about the vessel and its occupants. A police team will also survey the accident site in the sea.
Authorities confirmed that one naval sailor perished along with three employees of the speedboat manufacturing company. The second sailor sustained serious injuries and is receiving treatment at INHS Asvini. Officials indicated that a navy sailor was operating the vessel, though confirmation is awaited on the basis of the injured sailor’s statement.
“Both Navy sailors were accomplished swimmers,” said navy sources. “Typically, speedboats are steered by navy personnel, who are professional sailors. Precise cause will emerge once the critically injured sailor regains consciousness. The speedboat malfunctioned during testing before collision, and the six aboard would have been ejected after impact with the ferry. The rigid inflatable boat under trial wouldn’t sink despite damage.”
Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and wished for swift recovery of the injured. In a statement, the Indian Navy confirmed that eight navy craft and an aircraft, supplemented by a Coast Guard vessel, conducted search and rescue operations on December 18-19 night. The Navy has initiated a Board of Inquiry to investigate the incident.
