Mumbai Boat Crash: Death Toll Climbs to 15 as Body of Missing 7-Year-Old Boy Found

Mumbai: The body of Johan Mohammad Nisar Ahmed Pathan has been recovered by naval boats, bringing the death toll from the December 18 tragedy to 15.

The Indian Navy has launched an investigation into one of the deadliest crashes in the city’s harbor area.

As part of the Search and Rescue operation, a naval helicopter and boats from the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed to locate the missing passengers.

Out of the 113 people aboard the two vessels, 15 have died, and 98, including two injured, have been rescued.

Among the Navy crew, there were six people on board, of whom two survived, according to officials.

The body of a seven-year-old, who had been missing since the Mumbai boat tragedy, was recovered in the early hours of Saturday, following a three-day search operation.

The tragedy occurred when a speeding Navy craft, which was undergoing engine trials, lost control and collided with the passenger ferry Neel Kamal off the Mumbai coast.

The ferry, with over 100 passengers, was en route from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination known for its ancient caves.

According to documents from the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), the ferry had permission to carry 84 passengers and six crew members, but was overloaded, a police official said.

The MMB, which is conducting its own investigation into the accident, has canceled the ferry’s license due to overloading, violating the Inland Vessel Act. The ferry had a capacity of 90 persons, an official confirmed.

A case has been filed against the driver of the Navy craft at the Colaba police station.

The sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) invoked in the FIR include charges related to causing death by negligence, endangering personal safety, negligent navigation of a vessel, and acts of mischief causing wrongful loss or damage to individuals or the public.

The Navy has taken custody of the accident-affected vessel, and the police will request it for investigation as needed.

(Inputs from PTI)