NEW DELHI: In a Mumbai ferry accident, the rescue team found a missing passenger’s body on Thursday, increasing the death toll to 14.
Authorities continue searching for a seven-year-old boy who remains unaccounted for after the incident. The search effort includes a naval helicopter and vessels from both the Navy and Coast Guard, with eight boats participating in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, PTI News Agency reported.
Of the 113 individuals aboard both vessels, 14 perished and 98 were rescued, including two with injuries. The Navy craft carried six people, with only two surviving. The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the Navy vessel collided with the passenger ferry ‘Neel Kamal’, which was transporting over 100 passengers between the Gateway of India and Elephanta Island.
The Navy established a Board of Inquiry on Thursday to investigate the collision. “A Board of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident to establish the facts of the case,” the Navy stated. Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, the Navy chief, expressed his sympathies to the bereaved families and wished for the swift recovery of the injured.
Talking about the injured passengers, deputy Maharashtra chief minister Ajit Pawar said that three persons wounded in the boat tragedy off Mumbai coast includes a four-year-old girl and an eight months pregnant woman.
Making a statement in the Lower House of the state legislature, he said the third injured is a Navy personnel and his condition is serious. “The condition of the four-year-old girl and the pregnant woman is stable,” he said.
The authorities have filed charges against the naval speed boat operator and others involved under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions related to negligent death, endangering lives, and property damage, as confirmed by officials.
“The rescue operations are still continuing. Out of the 110 passengers, 96 have been rescued,” Pawar said. The Deputy CM mentioned that an investigation is underway regarding potential violations of the inland vessels act.
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when a Navy vessel collided with a passenger ferry travelling from the Gateway of India to the historic Elephanta caves. The collision resulted in thirteen fatalities, including Navy personnel and two contractual naval staff members.
Police officials confirmed that the recovery of a male passenger’s body on Thursday increased the death toll to fourteen. The search efforts continue for a seven-year-old boy who remains unaccounted for following the maritime accident.