The military speedboat struck the passenger vessel at full speed due to engine malfunction, according to the Navy.
Over a dozen people, including three naval personnel, have died following a collision between an Indian naval speedboat and a passenger ferry that was en route to a popular tourist destination off the coast of Mumbai on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 4pm after the speedboat, carrying five personnel, lost control during engine trials and collided with the privately owned ferry, which was carrying over 110 passengers. At least 13 people were killed as a result, according to the authorities.
Footage of the incident posted online shows the speedboat circling before crashing into the ferry.
Rescue operations were swift and extensive, involving 11 Navy boats, three Marine Police boats, a Coast Guard vessel, and four helicopters, according to local media. Personnel from various agencies, including police, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, and local fishermen, also took part in the search and rescue efforts.
By late Wednesday, 101 people had been rescued from the water, with four individuals hospitalized in critical condition, according to Maharashtra state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Indian Navy expressed regret for the “tragic loss” of life, explaining that its craft “lost control while undertaking engine trials in Mumbai Harbour due to engine malfunction. As a result, the boat collided with a passenger ferry that subsequently capsized.”
The sunken ferry, named Neelkamal, was a privately owned vessel carrying approximately 110 people to the Elephanta Caves, a popular tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 5th-6th centuries AD.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the bereaved families over the tragedy. “I pray that the injured recover soon,” he said in a post on X, announcing an ex-gratia payment of 200,000 rupees ($2,350) for the next of kin of each deceased and 50,000 rupees for the injured.
