Mumbai Boat Crash: Death Toll Rises To 14, Survivor Claims Navy Driver Was 'Showing Off'
The high-speed Navy vessel that crashed with a passenger ferry in Mumbai was operated by a driver "showing off" and zig-zagging through the waters, according to a survivor.
The driver of the Navy speedboat that collided with a passenger ferry 'Neel Kamal' off the Mumbai coast, killing 14 people, was in a "playful mood" and was "showing off", said one of the survivors on the ill-fated boat.
The survivor, Gautam Gupta whose aunt was among the 14 killed, recalled the moments leading up to the horrific speedboat-ferry collision that killed 14 people, including Navy personnel.
Gupta, a vegetable vendor from Nalasopara in the adjoining Palghar district, was on the ferry along with his aunt and relatives who were visiting Mumbai for his wedding last week.
He contested the Navy's claim that an "engine failure" led to the crash and described the vessel's driver as someone who was "showing off." Many passengers, including Gupta, were busy recording videos of the driver who zig-zagged through the waters.
"It felt like a display," Gupta told PTI.
"The driver was in a playful mood, zig-zagging through the waters. Suddenly, he turned the speedboat and headed directly towards us. He must have thought he could pass by our ferry narrowly, but his stunt ended in tragedy," he recounted.
Initially, Gupta could not grasp the gravity of the situation saying initially one occupant from the speedboat was thrown onto the ferry. We assumed our ferry was safe and that no damage had occurred. But soon, the ferry began to sink," he said.
"Before the collision, the speedboat driver was moving freely, and the passengers on board appeared calm. If there had been a problem with the boat, they would not have been so relaxed," he maintained.
Death Toll Reaches 14
On Thursday, the body of a man who was among the two passengers missing was found, taking the toll to 14, said the police. A day after the crash, the body of the 43-year-old man was found near the ferry, the police said, according to PTI.
The search operation is still underway to locate a seven-year-old boy who is still missing, the police added.
The Navy deployed its helicopter and boats while Coast Guards were also deployed to look for the missing passengers. Eight boats from the Navy and Coast Guards are involved in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.
According to the investigation, the ferry which was transporting passengers to Elephanta Island on Wednesday, had a capacity of 90 people, but it had 100 persons on board, the police said.
Of the total 113 persons on board both vessels, 14 died while 98, including two injured, were rescued. Six people were there on board the Navy craft, of which two survived, the officials said.
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