Mumbai tragedy | Boat didn’t have enough life jackets, staff clueless on safety protocol: Survivors

Survivors aboard the ferry which capsized off the Mumbai Coast near Gateway of India after colliding with a Navy speedboat, leading to the death of 13 passengers, have pointed to an absence of emergency protocol on the boat when the tragedy struck.

Some of the survivors told the media that the ferry staff was clueless about safety protocol and evacuation and failed to guide passengers when the collision occurred. Some of the passengers, on their own initiative, grabbed hold of life jackets and put them on, but were still unsure of what to do next, they said.

Forty-five-year-old Ganesh, one of the survivors, however, told PTI that after the ferry was hit and sea water started coming into the vessel, the captain of the ferry told the passengers to wear a life jacket.

Also Read: I was sure Navy craft would crash into us, says ferry passenger

Another survivor, Vinayak Mattham from Bengaluru, said the ferry did not have enough life jackets. He said that passengers should have been made to wear life jackets when they boarded the ferry.

The tragedy

Thirteen passengers aboard the ferry that was carrying 110 people died on Wednesday (December 18) after the boat capsized on being hit by a Navy speedboat that had lost control due to an engine malfunction.

The dead include 10 civilians and 3 Navy personnel, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters at Nagpur.

Also Read: Mumbai: 13 dead as Navy speedboat hits ferry near Gateway of India

The Navy and Coast Guard launched a massive rescue operation, with 11 Navy boats and three boats of the Marine Police and a Coast Guard boat being deployed in the area, according to a defence official. Four helicopters were also pressed into service, and personnel from the police, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, and local fishermen were also involved in the rescue operations.

A fishing trawler and a tourist boat that were in the area also helped in rescuing the survivors.

Navy’s role in question

The navy speedboat was reportedly conducting engine test trials at sea when a suspected technical fault occurred. Video recordings made by some of the passengers on the ferry revealed that the rigid inflatable boat (RIB) was unable to alter its course and hit the ferry at high speed.

There was an allegation by Subhash More, a master working with a boat at Gateway, that Navy boats often go dangerously close to the ferry boats operating in the area. He told the Times of India that the Navy boats operated at high speed, and affected the stability of the ferry boats. He said they had complained to the Navy several times, requesting them not to come too close. Subhash said the Navy personnel sometimes claimed that they came close to check the ferry boats.

Board of inquiry

The Navy has set up a board of inquiry to determine the cause of the collision. The police have filed an FIR against the navy speedboat’s driver and others.

Chief Minister Fadnavis also assured reporters that a thorough investigation would be conducted by the local authorities and the Navy to address lapses in safety protocols.

Also Read: Mumbai boat accident: PM condoles deaths, announces Rs 2 L ex-gratia for kin of dead

Ex-gratia compensation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while condoling the death of 13 people in the accident, announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the PMNRF for the next-of-kin of each deceased. The injured will be given ₹50,000 each.

Maharashtra CM Fadnavis announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the kin of those who had died.