Mumbai Ferry tragedy: Never witnessed such horrific event, say first responders

Mumbai: The drivers of a couple of boats who were among the first to reach the site of the accident between a ferry and a Navy craft off the Mumbai coast said they never witnessed such a horrific event in their lives.

Thirteen people died and 99 were rescued in the incident that occurred on Wednesday, the Navy said. The Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with a passenger ferry that was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination.

Arif Bamane, a driver of the Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat Poorva, said, "When we reached there, the situation was tragic and completely chaotic. People were screaming for help, and some were crying,".

He added that they prioritised rescuing women and children.

Bamane said a fishing trawler and another tourist boat had already arrived at the scene before them.

Bamane said he and his team were heading to Mumbai from Jawahar Deep on Wednesday evening when the control room gave the information about the accident. They were instructed to reach the spot near JD5 as quickly as possible.

He said their boat had only four people aboard, but they did their best to rescue the stranded individuals before other boats arrived. Among those crying for help, there were three to four foreigners, he said.

"We tried to save as many people as possible," Bamane said, adding that they rescued about 20-25 people, who were later transferred to naval boats that arrived at the scene.

With 18 years of boat driving experience, Bamane said he had witnessed small rescue operations before but Wednesday's incident was the most horrific and tragic. This is the biggest rescue operation that I have seen so far, he said.

He recalled a small girl lying motionless as water had entered her lungs. They performed chest compressions on her and helped her breathe again. Slowly, her breathing became normal, he said.

Iqbal Gothekar, a driver of a small tourist boat, told PTI that about 25-30 minutes after his boat departed from Elephanta Island at around 3.35 pm, he learned of the incident and was one of the first to reach the accident site.

Gothekar, who has been a boat driver since 2004, said the people on the capsized boat were frantically waving their hands for help.

He said by the time they reached the spot, a fishing trawler had also arrived.

A native of Raigad district, Gothekar stated that his boat rescued 16 people, bringing them safely to the Gateway of India. The rescued individuals were taken to a police post.

"In my career, I have never witnessed such an incident," Gothekar said while recounting the event.

Sources revealed that the capsized boat had a capacity of 80 people and had departed from the Gateway of India for Elephanta Caves about 45 minutes before the incident, which occurred near Butcher Island.

Inputs from PTI.