Mumbai Boat Accident: Body of Missing Passenger Found, Death Toll Rises to 14

New Delhi: The body of a 43-year-old man, one of the two missing passengers after a Navy vessel collided with a ferry off the Mumbai coast, was found on Thursday, raising the death toll from the incident to 14, police confirmed.

The body was discovered near the site of the crash, close to the ferry Neel Kamal, which was carrying over 100 passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island. The collision occurred Wednesday afternoon when a Navy craft, carrying six personnel, rammed into the passenger vessel. The accident has also left a seven-year-old boy still missing as of Thursday.

Authorities have deployed a large-scale Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, involving eight boats, including those from the Navy and Coast Guard, and a naval helicopter. Despite these efforts, the child remains unaccounted for, while 98 survivors, including two who were injured, have been rescued.

The collision killed 13 people, including Navy personnel and two naval contractors, while the Neel Kamal ferry’s passengers also suffered fatalities. Among the Navy personnel on board their craft, two survived.

In the aftermath of the accident, the Indian Navy has ordered a Board of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the crash. "A Board of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident to establish the facts of the case," the Navy stated in a release.

Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi expressed his condolences to the victims' families, offering support and well-wishes for the recovery of those injured in the incident. Authorities continue to comb the waters in hopes of locating the missing child.