Mumbai Boat Accident: 2 Kids Among 13 Killed, PM Modi Announces Rs 2 Lakh Ex Gratia

Last Updated:December 19, 2024, 08:22 IST

Mumbai Boat Capsize: According to sources, seven men, four women, and two children were among the dead

Mumbai Ferry Tragedy: Thirteen people, including 10 civilians and three Navy personnel, died and 101 others were rescued after a ferry capsized while en route to Elephanta Island from Mumbai’s iconic Gateway of India, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday.

According to sources, seven men, four women, and two children were among the dead.

Around 4 pm, a Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with passenger ferry Neel Kamal near Jawahar Dweep (Butcher Island) near Mumbai, the Navy said in a statement.

The ferry was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination.

“Search and Rescue efforts were immediately launched by the Navy in coordination with the Coast Guard and Marine Police. Four naval helicopters, 11 naval craft, one Coast Guard boat and three Marine Police boats were involved in the rescue efforts,” the Navy said.

“The survivors picked up by Navy and civil craft in the area have been transferred to jetties and hospitals in the vicinity. So far 101 survivors have been rescued,” it added.

Here are the top developments so far.

• Following the accident, the Indian Navy in a statement acknowledged that the naval craft lost control while undertaking engine trials in Mumbai Harbour due to engine malfunction. As a result, the boat collided with a passenger ferry which subsequently capsized.
• “The Prime Minister has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh fromPrime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased in the boat mishap in Mumbai. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” the PMO said.
• The families of the deceased will receive financial assistance of ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, CM Fadnavis said.
• Four of the six persons onboard the Navy boat which rammed into the ferry have lost their lives while one of them is critically injured. The ferry had approximately 110 passengers including 20 children.
• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans swiftly rescued 56 individuals from a ferry hit by a Navy craft off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday, officials said.
• CISF stated its jawans sailed to the accident spot near Butcher Island, approximately 6 km from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, in a patrolling boat and carried out rescue operations.
• The Navy and Coast Guard launched a massive rescue operation, with 11 Navy boats and three boats of Marine Police and a boat of Coast Guard being deployed in the area, a defence official said. Four helicopters were involved in the search and rescue operation, the official said.
• FIR under Cr no 283/24 u/s 106(1), 125 (a) (b), 282, 324 (3)(5) of BNS has been registered in Colaba Police Station in relation to the incident of Neelkamal boat capsizing against Navy speed boat driver and responsible others, on the complaint of survivor Natharam Chaudhary.
• The drivers of a couple of boats who were among the first to reach the site of the accident between a ferry and a Navy craft off the Mumbai coast said they never witnessed such a horrific event in their lives. Arif Bamane, a driver of the Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat Poorva, said, “When we reached there, the situation was tragic and completely chaotic. People were screaming for help, and some were crying,” he said.
• Iqbal Gothekar, a driver of a small tourist boat, told PTI that about 25-30 minutes after his boat departed from Elephanta Island at around 3.35 pm, he learned of the incident and was one of the first to reach the accident site. Gothekar, who has been a boat driver since 2004, said the people on the capsized boat were frantically waving their hands for help.