Update 2: Nightmare unfolds off Mumbai coast as speedboat collides with ferry, sending it to the depths amid desperate rescue efforts
by Ekta ChaubeyA nightmare unfolded off the coast of Mumbai as a speedboat collided with a tourist ferry carrying 110 passengers, causing it to capsize in the Arabian Sea and triggering a desperate large-scale rescue operation.
The incident occurred near Butcher Island (also known as Jawahar Dweep), 8.25 km from the Gateway, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, western India on December 18.
Visuals show an Indian Navy speedboat, which was undergoing engine trials, losing control and colliding with the ferry. Passengers wearing life jackets were rescued from the sinking vessel and transferred to another boat as the ferry tilted dangerously towards the water. A significant number of individuals remain stranded, while a larger vessel approaches the scene to assist.
According to local police, the naval speedboat conducting engine trials collided with the passenger ferry (named Neel Kamal), which was carrying more than 100 passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island. The crash resulted in the deaths of 13 people, including a naval officer and two contractual workers. The ferry capsized as a result of the collision.
An investigation is underway to pinpoint the exact cause of the incident, though it is suspected that an engine failure caused the speedboat to lose control, leading to the crash.
An FIR was filed at the Colaba police station in south Mumbai under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the Navy speedboat driver and others involved in the incident.
The complaint was made by survivor Natharam Chaudhary, a 22-year-old resident of Sakinaka, Mumbai. The FIR includes charges related to causing death by negligence, actions that jeopardise the safety or life of others, reckless or negligent vessel navigation, and mischief causing harm or damage to individuals or the public.
A Navy official stated that one person involved in the speedboat test is in critical condition, while two others are receiving medical treatment.