The Mumbai boat tragedy left 13 dead while 99 others were rescued in the ferry accident on Wednesday. A Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with passenger ferry Neel Kamal off the Mumbai coast. The drivers of a couple of boats who were among the first to reach the site of the accident said that they never witnessed such a horrific event in their lives.
“When we reached there, the situation was tragic and completely chaotic. People were screaming for help and some were crying,” Arif Bamane, a driver of the Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat Poorva said.
Among the other first responders to the accident were a fishing trawler and another tourist boat that had arrived near the scene before the MBPT boat. Bamane said that women and children were rescued on priority.
The passenger ferry was carrying passengers from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination.
‘Most horrific and tragic’
Bamane said the four of them aboard the pilot boat did their best to save the stranded before other boats arrived. He said that three to four foreign nationals were among those who were crying for help.
He said that they rescued around 20-25 people, who were later transferred to naval boats that arrived at the scene.
With 18 years of boat driving experience, Bamane said that he had never before witnessed anything so 'horrific and tragic' before. He said this was the biggest rescue operation he had seen so far.
Recounting a moment from the tragic scene he said that a small girl was lying motionless as water had entered her lungs and after chest compressions she was able to breathe again.
‘Never witnessed such an incident’
Iqbal Gothekar, a driver of a small tourist boat, said that he was one of the first to reach the accident site. Gothekar, who has been driving a boat since 2004, said that people on the capsized boat were frantically waving their hands for help.
He said that his boat rescued 16 people bringing them safely to the Gateway of India, who were then taken to a police post. "In my career, I have never witnessed such an incident," Gothekar said while speaking of the accident.
It was revealed that the capsized boat had departed from the Gateway of India for Elephanta Caves about 45 minutes before the incident, which occurred near Butcher Island.
(With inputs from PTI)
