In a tragic incident, thirteen people lost their lives following a ferry Neelkamal collided with an Indian Navy speed-craft off the coast of Mumbai on Wednesday. While 101 people have been brought safely to land, the rescue operations still continue as two people are missing. A Mumbai Boat Tragedy survivor has narrated the trauma he had to go through and how he lost his aunt in this unfortunate accident.
Gautam Gupta, a survivor from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, lost his aunt in the accident. He recalled the traumatic experience revealing that there weren’t any life jackets on the boat and how he lost a family member in these sudden turn of events. He said, “No one on the boat had life jackets. After the collision, we tried pulling several people out of the water. About 20-25 minutes later, the Navy rescued us, but by then, we had lost my aunt.”
The drivers of a couple of boats who were among the first to reach the site of the accident between a ferry and a Navy craft off the Mumbai coast said they never witnessed such a horrific event in their lives. Arif Bamane, a driver of the Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat Poorva, said, “When we reached there, the situation was tragic and completely chaotic. People were screaming for help, and some were crying,”. He added that they prioritised rescuing women and children.
Bamane said a fishing trawler and another tourist boat had already arrived at the scene before them. Bamane said he and his team were heading to Mumbai from Jawahar Deep on Wednesday evening when the control room gave the information about the accident. They were instructed to reach the spot near JD5 as quickly as possible. He said their boat had only four people aboard, but they did their best to rescue the stranded individuals before other boats arrived. Among those crying for help, there were three to four foreigners, he said.
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