MUMBAI: A day after a Navy speedboat rammed a ferry heading to Elephanta island from Gateway of India, the toll rose to 14 with the recovery of the body of a 43-year-old Malad resident.
The search for seven-year-old Zohan Pathan – the other missing passenger – continues even as police and naval authorities probe the reasons behind the crash and identity of the person handling the speedboat. It 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 said the ferry boat, Neel Kamal, had capacity for 84 passengers plus six crew but was overloaded and carrying over 100.
Boat operators, meanwhile, questioned Navy’s reluctance to stop the practice of carrying out tests of their vessels in the ferry navigation area.
