A missing passenger’s body was recovered on Thursday off the Mumbai coast following a collision between a Naval boat and a ferry a day earlier, police officials informed PTI. The death toll from the tragic incident has risen to 14.
The recovered body belonged to a 43-year-old man, one of two passengers reported missing after the mishap. Search operations continue for a seven-year-old boy who remains unaccounted for.
The collision occurred on Wednesday around 4 p.m. when the Indian Navy speedboat collided with the passenger ferry Neelkamal, which was en route to Elephanta Caves from the Gateway of India.
On Thursday, a naval helicopter and eight boats, including those from the Navy and Coast Guard, were deployed to search for the missing. Of the 113 people on board the Navy boat and the ferry, 14 lost their lives, two sustained injuries, and 98 were rescued. Among the six crew members of the Navy speedboat, only two survived.
The Indian Navy has initiated a board of inquiry to determine the cause of the collision. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also ordered an investigation into the incident.
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wished the injured a swift recovery. Meanwhile, Fadnavis announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for the next of kin of the deceased, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged Rs 2 lakh for the bereaved families and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
In response to the tragedy, authorities have made life jackets mandatory for all passengers taking boat rides from the Gateway of India, PTI reported.