Mumbai ferry disaster: Search for missing 7-year-old continues

The search operation launched by naval boats to locate a seven-year-old boy missing after a Navy craft rammed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast two days ago continued on Dec 20 and will go on for another 72 hours at least, an official said.

"The SAR (search and rescue) is still going on. Body has not been recovered as yet. It will continue for 72 hours at least," the official said late Dec 20 evening in reply to a query on the current status of the operation.

With the recovery of the body of a 43-year-old man on Dec 19 evening, the death toll in the December 18 tragedy rose to 14.

The Navy has launched a probe into one of the deadliest crashes in the city's harbor area.

A naval helicopter and boats of the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed to look for the missing passengers as part of the Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the official said.

Of the 113 persons on board both the 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.

The tragedy struck when the speeding Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with passenger ferry 'Neel Kamal' off near Mumbai coast. The ferry with more than 100 passengers was on its way from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Island, a popular tourist attraction which has a collection of ancient caves.

According to the documents issued by the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), the boat had permission to carry 84 passengers and 6 crew members, but it was overloaded, a police official said.

A case has been registered against the Navy craft driver at the Colaba police station, the official said.

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections invoked in the FIR included those related to causing death by negligence, actions that endanger the personal safety or life of others, rash or negligent navigation of a vessel and acts of mischief that cause wrongful loss or damage to individuals or the public.

The accident-affected craft is in the custody of the Navy and police will demand it whenever needed for investigation, the official said.

The mangled passenger ferry has been taken to Bhaucha Dhakka (a wharf near Dockyard Road) in south Mumbai, another official said.

(PTI)