MUMBAI: In one of the deadliest accidents in the Mumbai harbour area, a collision between a seemingly out-of-control Indian naval speedboat and a ferry plying tourists to Elephanta Island around 1.5 nautical miles (nearly 2.8km) from the Gateway of India Wednesday evening resulted in 13 deaths. The dead included one naval sailor and two from a boat manufacturing company who were part of a team carrying out a trial.

The collision, which took place close to Butcher Island off Mumbai around 4pm, ledto the sinking of the ferry vessel. The initial rescue was carried out by a trawler and pilot boats from Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) on the mainland, which took around 15-20 minutes to reach the spot. However, there wasno clarity on whether the ferry vessel, Neelkamal, made a distress call or if the rescue was initiated on basis of information from other vessels in the vicinity.

Constables Vikas Ghosh (in uniform) and Varun Singh (in white T-shirt) providing CPR to rescued passengers

Man who flung into air recounts horror

“I was recording the video of a speedboat presuming it was doing stunts when it suddenly hit our ferry. To my utter disbelief and shock, on impact, one of the speedboat’s passengers was flung into the air and crashed on the deck of our ferry just beside me. His motionless body was badly mutilated,” said Gautam Gupta (25), who recorded the viral video of the speedboat moments right before the collision, and survived the capsizing incident.

Gupta is currently receiving treatment at St George’s Hospital alongside his cousin Rinta Gupta (30) while his aunt is still missing. He was on his way to Elephanta Caves with his aunt and her daughter who were visiting from their native place in north India Wednesday when tragedy struck. Gupta and his cousin are among the nine survivors being treated at St George’s Hospital—all stable with minor injuries and trauma. Each of the survivors had worn a life jacket. The survivors noted the absence of proper emergency protocols, stating that the ferry staff provided no guidance nor made any announcements after the collision, and the passengers hurriedly on their own began to get hold of life jackets for their safety, unsure about their next course of action.

Hit by snag during engine trial, speedboat failed to alter course

The survivors were transferred to jetties and hospitals nearby, the officer said. They include four women and two children. The injured were rushed to govt and naval hospitals for treatment. Many of those taken to hospitals were given first aid and discharged as they did not sustain any serious injuries said an official. Four are reported to be critical. Passengers on the vessel who belonged to Mumbai were from Malad East, Kurla, Mulund, Navi Mumbai and Nallasopara. Those from outside Mumbai were from Rajasthan, Baramati, Bengal, Bihar, Kerala, Gujarat, Raipur, Hyderabad. There were also a few foreigners on board.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis announced an exgratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of those who died. He also assured a thorough investigation by local authorities and Navy to determine the cause of the collision and address lapses in safety protocols. A board of inquiry (BOI) has already been set up by the Navy. An FIR has been registered against the navy speedboat’s driver and others.

Eleven rescue craft and six choppers were deployed to carry out the operation. Efforts are ongoing to ascertain if any individuals are still missing, with a final report expected by Thursday, he said. Further updates on the rescue mission and findings of inquiry will be shared soon, he added. Police said the process of filing a case against the person responsible for the accident was under way at Colaba police station.

The ML Aisha, a boat which happened to be near the ill-fated Neelkamal ferry vessel at the time of the accident

The speedboat which collided with the ferry was de-scribed as a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) carrying six people — two Naval personnel and four OEM staff members. It was conducting engine test trials at sea when a suspected technical fault occurred. Video recordings by passenger on the ferry showed the RIB unable to alter its course and hitting the vessel at high speed.

Subhash More, a master employed with a boat at Gateway, alleged that Navy boats often come dangerously close to the ferry boats operating from Gateway. They move around at high-speed affecting the stability of our boats and creating imbalance in our boats.