Craft-ferry crash: Death toll rises to 14; Navy orders probe

Mumbai: The body of a man who was among the two missing passengers after a Navy craft rammed into their ferry off the Mumbai coast, was found on Thursday, taking the toll to 14, said police as the Navy launched a probe into one of the deadliest crashes in the city’s harbour area.

A day after the crash, the body of the 43-year-old man was found near the ferry, police said.

Search operation continues to locate a seven-year-old boy who is still missing, a police official added.

A naval helicopter and boats of the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed on Thursday to look for the missing passengers. Eight boats, including those from the Navy and Coast Guard are involved in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the official said.

Of the 113 persons on board both the vessels, 14 died and 98, including two injured, were rescued. There were six persons on board the Navy craft, of which two survived, the official said.

The tragedy struck when the speeding Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with passenger ferry ‘Neel Kamal’ off Karanja near Mumbai. The ferry carrying more than 100 passengers was on its way from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Island, a popular tourist attraction which has a collection of ancient caves.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday told the state assembly that three persons injured in the boat tragedy included a four-year-old girl and an eight-month pregnant woman. He said the third injured is a Navy staffer and his condition is serious.

“The condition of the four-year-old girl and the pregnant woman is stable,” Pawar said.

The Navy on Thursday instituted a Board of Inquiry to probe the collision. “A Board of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident to establish the facts of the case,” the Navy said.

Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi offered condolences to the grieving families of those who lost their lives in the accident.

Investigations carried out so far have revealed the ferry had a capacity of 90 passengers, but it had over 100 persons on board, said police.

According to the documents issued by the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), the boat had permission to carry 84 passengers and 6 crew members, but it was overloaded with over a 100 persons, a police official said. A case has been registered against the Navy craft driver at the Colaba police station, the official said.

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections invoked in the FIR related to the tragedy included those related to causing death by negligence, actions that endanger the personal safety or life of others, rash or negligent navigation of a vessel and acts of mischief that cause wrongful loss or damage to individuals or the public.