In Mumbai, a joyride that turned fatal

It was at noon on December 18 that Tanvi Wakchaure saw her father, Deepchand, for the last time. Mumbai ferry accident: commuters demand action On December 18, the last ferry of the day, Neel Kamal, had left the Gateway at 3:00 p.m. Neel Kamal had a capacity of 80 passengers, but it was carrying 110-115 passengers that day, says an investigation officer on the case from the Colaba police station. One survivor says, “The people who managed to access life jackets managed to live, while some others drowned.” Natharam was the complainant in the First Information Report registered at the Colaba police station against the Navy speedboat which was carrying two Navy personnel and four workers. It said that the speed boat, which was undergoing engine trials, “lost control and collided with a passenger ferry, Neel Kamal, off Karanja, Mumbai.” A Defence spokesperson explained the accident: “The throttle was stuck in the top position, preventing them from taking a turn or slowing down the boat.” Of the 115 people who were rescued, 13 people — one Navy personal and 12 civilians, including three workers on the speedboat — were declared dead by Mumbai’s civic body and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. She says, “In the last 5-6 years, we have seen altercations between people in the ferry and Navy personnel.” A Defence spokesperson dismissed these allegations.