At least 13 people are dead and two others are missing after an Indian Navy boat crashed into the side of a passenger ferry off the coast of Mumbai, officials say, UNN reports citing the BBC.
Details
Among the dead were 3 navy personnel, and more than 100 people were rescued, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Footage of the incident posted online shows the boat circling before colliding with the ferry, which later capsized.
The Indian Navy stated that there was an “engine failure”. According to local media reports, an investigation has been ordered to find out what led to the collision.
A private ferry was heading to the Elephantine Caves, a popular tourist destination, when a boat crashed into it on Wednesday at about 6:00 a.m. local time (11:30 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time).
Search and rescue operations for the last two missing passengers were still underway on Thursday afternoon.
“The naval vessel, which was testing its engines, lost control and collided with a passenger ferry,” the navy said, adding that it regretted the ‘tragic loss’ of lives.
Survivors told local media that the ferry staff did not give any instructions after the collision, and passengers had to save themselves.
A navy official, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC that ferries and boats follow clearly marked routes and there is enough space in the harbor to avoid possible collisions.
The exact details of the incident will become known after the navy boat is recovered, he said.
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This is the second such incident in a month. The first case occurred on November 22, when two people went missing after a submarine collided with a fishing trawler off the coast of Goa.