Portion of a ferry, which was recently capsised off Mumbai coast when a Navy craft crashed into it, is seen afloat at Bhaucha Dhakka, in Mumbai
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Three days after the accident involving a ferry that was hit by an Indian Navy speedboat, the body of a six-year-old boy was found near the Gateway of India on Saturday, taking the toll to 15.
The ferry boat Neel Kamal, carrying over 110 persons, was on its way from the Gateway of India to the Gharapuri Island, which houses the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Elephanta Caves, when a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) dashed it while undergoing engine trials, on Wednesday evening.
The Indian Navy as well as the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation has confirmed that the body of the boy, Johan Ashraf Pathan, who hailed from Goa, has been found.
The body has been taken to the Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai.
Rattled by the incident and mounting criticism about the speedboat trials, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, the Chief of Naval Staff, rushed to Mumbai and held a high-level review meeting with officials of the Western Naval Command, on Friday.
While 13 bodies were found by Wednesday, the body of one adult male was found on Thursday.
With another body being found on Saturday, the toll now stands at 15 - and all passengers and crew of Neel Kamal and the speed boat have been accounted for.
The Indian Navy has ordered a Board of Inquiry into the incident.
The Colaba police station in Mumbai has lodged an FIR into the accident.
The complaint was made by survivor Natharam Chaudhary, a 22-year-old resident of Sakinaka, Mumbai. The FIR includes charges related to causing death by negligence, actions that jeopardise the safety or life of others, reckless or negligent vessel navigation, and mischief causing harm or damage to individuals or the public.
In a related development, the Maharashtra Maritime Board has revoked the licence of the ferry and its survey certificate.
The ferry had a capacity of 90 persons and, prima facie, it appears that there were 110 persons on board.