The Neelkamal ferry was on its way to Elephanta Islands, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai.
A Navy craft crashed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday. In the incident, 13 people died and 101 were recused after the incident. The dead include 10 civilians and three Navy personnel, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters. The incident took place around 4 pm. Four naval helicopters, 11 naval craft, one Coast Guard boat and three Marine Police boats were involved in the rescue efforts, the Navy said.
5 points about the incident
1. The incident took place when a Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with passenger ferry Neel Kamal off Karanja near Mumbai, the Navy said in a statement.
2. The ferry was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination. The ferry had approximately 110 passengers including 20 children.
3. The survivors picked up by Navy and civil craft in the area have been transferred to jetties and hospitals in the vicinity. 8 crafts of the Indian Navy have been pressed into search operations in the area where the ferry accident took place.
4. Four of the six persons onboard the Navy boat have lost their lives while one of them is critically injured. Accounting of all personnel is in progress along with SAR efforts in the area, it said.
5. The Chief Minister announced that an ex-gratia of Rs5 lakh would be provided from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the families of those who lost their lives.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh posted on X, “Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the collision between passenger ferry and Indian Navy craft in Mumbai Harbour. Injured personnel, including naval personnel & civilians from both vessels, are receiving urgent medical care,”
“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Extensive search & rescue efforts are ongoing by the Indian Navy & Coast Guard, deploying multiple assets, to locate missing persons,” Singh added.
