At least 13 people lost their lives when a naval speedboat collided with a passenger ferry carrying over 100 passengers near Mumbai’s coast on Wednesday, causing the ferry to capsize, officials confirmed.
The Indian Navy reported that 99 people were rescued, with ongoing efforts to locate the remaining passengers.
“An Indian Navy craft lost control while undertaking engine trials in Mumbai Harbour due to engine malfunction. As a result, the boat collided with a passenger ferry which subsequently capsized,” the Navy stated on X.
Eyewitness footage aired on local TV showed the speedboat crashing into the ferry, which overturned after the impact.
“The speedboat crashed into our boat, and water started entering. The driver told us to wear lifejackets,” a survivor told ABP Majha news channel. “I swam for fifteen minutes before I was rescued by another boat,” he added, declining to be named.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims’ families in a message on X.
“The boat mishap in Mumbai is saddening. Condolences to the bereaved families,” he wrote.
Modi also announced financial aid of 200,000 rupees ($2,356) for the next of kin of the deceased and 50,000 rupees ($590) for the injured, to be provided through the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
The privately-owned ferry, named Neelkamal, was en route to the Elephanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular tourist attraction off Mumbai’s coast, when it capsized.
The Elephanta Caves, constructed in the 5th-6th centuries A.D., draw visitors year-round. Boats regularly ferry tourists from the Gateway of India, Mumbai’s iconic southernmost point, to the site, which is approximately an hour away.
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