Ferry boat mishap: Body of 44-year-old man found, 7-year-old boy still missing
The Maharashtra Maritime Board has confirmed to the police that the ferry, Neelkamal, had a capacity of 90, including 84 passengers and six crewmembers. This means the ferry, which was plying from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, was overloaded at the time of the accident
MUMBAI: The body of a 44-year-old man who was missing after a Navy speedboat crashed into a ferry carrying more than 100 passengers off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday afternoon was found on Thursday, taking the death toll in the tragedy to 14, according to the police. A seven-year-old boy who was onboard the ferry is still missing, with a search operation ongoing, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Maritime Board has confirmed to the police that the ferry, Neelkamal, had a capacity of 90, including 84 passengers and six crewmembers. This means the ferry, which was plying from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, was overloaded at the time of the accident.
As of Wednesday night, 98 of the 113 people on board both vessels had been rescued, with 13 others declared dead and two missing. On Thursday, a naval helicopter and eight boats belonging to the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard were deployed to look for the two missing passengers.
Navy divers eventually found the body of Hansram Bhati, a resident of Tanaji Nagar in Malad East, near the accident spot, 8.25 km from the Gateway of India. The police said Bhati, a jeweller, was on the ferry with his wife Santosh, their 14-year-old son Tarun, and their Rajasthan-based relatives, Neeta and Pravin Rathod.
“After the crash, Bhati’s son and wife were brought to St George’s Hospital. However, they could not find Bhati,” said a police officer. Neeta and Pravin Rathod have been admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority Hospital.
According to Bhati’s relative, Vikram Periyar, the 44-year-old was a good swimmer. “He used to cross rivers while we were kids. Today, only due to age, he couldn’t see without glasses. He might have lost his glasses in the water. His family had been waiting outside Colaba police since yesterday for news about him.”
With the recovery of Bhati’s body, the only missing person now is Zohan Pathaan, 7, a resident of Goa who had come to visit Mumbai along with his parents. “Zohan’s mother, Safeena, 35, died in the crash,” said the police officer. “They were on the passenger ferry headed to Elephanta Islands. They had come from Goa along with Zohan’s father to see the city.”
The Colaba police have booked the unidentified deceased pilot of the Navy speedboat under sections 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), 125(a) (punishment for reckless or negligent acts that endanger the personal safety or life of others), 282 (rash or negligent navigation of a vessel), and 324 (mischief) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
“We have written to the Indian Navy to understand what the speedboat was doing and who was driving it when the accident took place,” said the police officer. The police have also written to the Maharashtra Maritime Board to examine both boats involved in the collision and establish the licences and permissions that the ferry, Neelkamal, had. While the Navy hasn’t identified the pilot, on Thursday, it instituted a board of inquiry to investigate the cause of the collision.
The police said they are in the process of carrying out panchnamas of the two boats. “We have recorded around 18 statements, most of which are of the victims and the people rescued from Neelkamal. We have called the master and the owner of Neelkamal to record their statements,” said the police officer.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) cleared the ferry’s wreckage from the channel that leads to JNPA and Elephanta Island. PN Bahekar, secretary of the MbPA, said the vessel was removed and towed away.
If this hadn’t been done, traffic to Butcher Island and JNPA, which is India’s largest container port, would have been affected. The depth of sea at the accident spot was 15.2 metres and the wreckage was a hazard to other vessels. Crude oil coming from other countries is offloaded at Butcher island, owned by MbPA. Several cargo ships come to JNPA.

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