The Navy craft is at present within the custody of naval authorities.
Mumbai:
The collision between a Navy boat and a passenger ferry off the coast of Mumbai on December 18, which resulted in 15 deaths, was seemingly brought on by a technical malfunction within the steering meeting and within the throttle quadrant which governs the pace of the boat, Navy sources have stated. The boat was travelling at a excessive pace when it made an affect with the vacationer ferry.
A survivor on board the Navy vessel, who belonged to the producer of the boat which was being examined earlier than induction, has indicated that the crew was conscious of the malfunction when the collision befell.
Movies of the incident present an effort being made to steer the craft away from the ferry however the Navy boat was unable to show away sharply sufficient to keep away from the accident.
The Navy craft, a Inflexible Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB), was present process engine trials at excessive pace, misplaced management and collided with the passenger ferry Neel Kamal. The ferry, carrying greater than 100 passengers, was en route from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a preferred vacationer vacation spot identified for its historical cave temples.
The collision triggered the ferry to sink within the Arabian Sea, making it one of many deadliest maritime accidents within the metropolis’s harbour. Naval helicopters and boats, together with Coast Guard vessels, have been deployed in search and rescue operations following the incident.
Of the 113 people aboard the 2 vessels, 15 died, whereas 98 others have been rescued, together with two who have been injured. On the Navy craft, which had six crew members, solely two survived.
In accordance with data from the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), the Neel Kamal was licensed to hold a most of 84 passengers and 6 crew members. Nonetheless, the ferry was overloaded on the time of the collision.
The MMB has since cancelled the ferry’s licence and launched its personal investigation into the matter. A case has been registered towards the Navy craft’s driver on the Colaba police station underneath varied sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), together with expenses associated to negligence, endangering public security and rash navigation. The Navy craft is at present within the custody of naval authorities, although police have indicated they’ll request entry to the vessel as wanted for his or her investigation.