Mumbai:

A day after a ferry-Navy craft collision claimed 14 lives off the Mumbai coast, authorities on Thursday made life jackets mandatory for all people taking boat rides from the Gateway of India.

Some tourists, however, said the life jackets would be of help only if people know how to use them. The authorities should instruct people how to use the life jackets in case of an emergency, they said.

Some survivors of the tragedy on Wednesday claimed the ferry did not have enough life jackets.

Fourteen persons, including a Navy personnel and two contractual naval employees, were killed and nearly 100 rescued after the Navy craft carrying out engine trials dashed against the passenger ferry ‘Neel Kamal’ on Wednesday afternoon.

The ferry was carrying more than 100 passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island.

Meanwhile, a Mantralaya official said the MMB earlier in the day submitted an interim report on the incident to the state government.

“The MMB has issued a show-cause notice to the owner of the boat Neel Kamal in connection with the tragedy and sought an explanation,” the official added.

Devidas Jadhav, an assistant boat inspector deputed at the Gateway of India, told PTI that they have made the use of life jackets mandatory for every passenger taking ferry boat to Mandva near Alibaug (in neighbouring Raigad), Elephanta Island or while going for a short ride off Mumbai harbour.

Jadhav, part of the Maharashtra Maritime Board, is tasked with ensuring every passenger on such boats mandatorily wears a life jacket.

Boat owners from Bhaucha Dhakka (a wharf near the Dockyard Road here) said they insist that people wear life jackets, but passengers are reluctant many a times though they could prove life-saving in case of an emergency.

Ferry boats operate from Bhaucha Dhakka to trans-harbour locations like Uran and Revas in neighbouring Raigad district.

Boat owner Sameer Bamane said some passengers are reluctant to wear life jackets, citing the reason that they feel uncomfortable due to excessive heat and sweat during humid conditions.

“Tourists here do not want to wear the life jacket, but the same people use it without any complaint when they go to other countries like Singapore or Malaysia. It is because the authorities there do not allow a boat to move if even one person is without a life jacket,” he said.

Azahar Mulla, owner of boat ‘Aayesha’ at Gateway, said they are facing challenges in enforcing the mandatory life jacket rule because passengers are reluctant to wear them, with many claiming they can swim well.

“Passengers only wear it when Maharashtra Maritime Board personnel are present at the jetty. Otherwise, they ignore the boat owners’ instructions,” Mulla claimed.

A source at Bhaucha Dhakka said MMB officials, apart from going about enforcing the life jacket rule, have also instructed boat operators not to allow passengers to travel on the upper decks.

“MMB officials are now strictly monitoring compliance of this rule,” the source said.

A boat owner from Bhaucha Dhakka said wearing life jackets was always mandatory but the rule was seldom enforced.

A master driver of a launch operating from Gateway told PTI many passengers wear life jackets while departing and arriving but remove them once they are off shore despite repeated reminders to keep them on at all times.

Sangeeta Dalvi, who was travelling to Mandva with her husband for some work, said passengers must use life jackets as they can save lives in case of an emergency.

She also said there was no need for the people to be scared after Wednesday’s accident.

“Such tragedies do not happen everyday. We do not avoid travelling by roads though everyday several accidents occur on roads,” Dalvi added.

Suyesh Sharma, a tourist from Chhattisgarh who came to the Gateway of India to take a boat ride as he had time before his return by an evening flight, said life jackets does not prove much helpful in the high sea unless people know how to use them.

“Life jackets could prove helpful only when you know how to use them. Authorities should also tell people how to use them in case of emergency,” said Sharma, who often takes up adventure sports like river rafting.

When contacted to obtain confirmation about these developments, MMB chief executive officer Dr Manik Gusal said Port Officer Captain Parveen Khara would speak.

Mr Khara, however, did not respond to calls or text messages.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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 count 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 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.

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 the Elephanta Island, on Wednesday afternoon.

The Navy on Thursday instituted a Board of Inquiry to probe the collision of the naval boat with the passenger ferry.

“A Board of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident to establish the facts of the case,” the Navy said.

Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi offered condolences to the grieving families of those who lost their lives in the accident and wished for a speedy and full recovery of those who were injured.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

People were screaming for help and crying, a Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat said, at the site where a ferry and a Indian Navy craft crashed off the city’s coast.

Thirteen people died and 99 were rescued as an Indian Navy undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with a passenger ferry that was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island.

Among the first ones to reach the accident site, pilots of some boats said this was the most horrific event they had seen in their lives. Among them was Arif Bamane, who told PTI that rescuers prioritised women and children.

A control room call instructed nearby boats, prompting Bamane to steer his boat with four people on board towards the accident site. Around 20-25 people, of whom there were three to four foreigners, were rescued and transferred to naval boats. Among the sights he experienced during rescue operations was a small girl lying motionless as water had entered her lungs. She was given chest compressions after which her breathing became normal, Bamane told PTI.

Iqbal Gothekar saw people frantically waving their hands for help. His small tourist boat reached the accident site and rescued 16 people, bringing them to Gateway of India. “In my career, I have never witnessed such an incident,” Gothekar recounted the event to PTI.