Mumbai: The body of a 43-year-old man who was among the two missing passengers after a Navy craft rammed into their ferry off the Mumbai coast, was found on Thursday, police said. The body was found near the ferry, police said. The death toll in the tragedy has now gone up to 14. Search operation continues to locate a seven-year-old boy who is still missing a day after the tragedy, a police official added.
A naval helicopter and boats of the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed on Thursday to look for the missing passengers. Eight boats, including those from the Navy and Coast Guard are involved in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the official said.
Of the 113 persons on board both vessels, 14 died and 98, including two injured, were rescued. There were six persons on board the Navy craft, of which two survived, the official said.
Thirteen persons, including Navy personnel and two contractual naval employees, were killed when the Navy craft dashed against the passenger ferry 'Neel Kamal', carrying more than 100 passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, on Wednesday afternoon.
Identity of the deceased
The 13 who died in the tragic mishap included seven men, four women and two children. A Navy personnel and two contractual naval employees were among the deceased. Late in the night, police released the names of ten of the deceased.
They are Mahendra Singh Shekhawat (Navy); Praveen Sharma (worker on NAD boat); Mangesh (worker on NAD boat); Mohammad Rehan Qureshi (passenger boat); Rakesh Nanaji Ahire (passenger Boat); Safiana Pathan; Mahi Pawara (aged 3); Akshata Rakesh Ahire; Mithu Rakesh Ahire (aged 8) and Deepak V. Two women and a male victim were yet to be identified, according to the police.
Where exactly did the incident happen?
The Navy craft dashed against the passenger ferry 'Neel Kamal', carrying more than 100 passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination, at about 4 pm on Wednesday.
The incident happened near Butcher Island, about 8 kilometres from the Gateway of India. The Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with the ferry, the Navy said in a statement. This was the second accident involving the Navy in less than a month. On November 21, INS Karanj, a submarine, collided with a fishing vessel, FV Marthoma, in the Arabian Sea off the Goa coast, killing two persons. (With PTI Inputs)
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