MUMBAI: The drivers of some boats who rushed to help the ferry tragedy victims off the Mumbai coast were aghast to see chaos at the site with people screaming for help and said they never witnessed such a horrific incident in their lives.
Thirteen persons died and 99 were rescued after a Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with the passenger ferry Neel Kamal off Karanja near Mumbai at around 4 pm on Wednesday, the Navy said.
The ferry was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination.
Arif Bamane, a driver of the Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat Poorva, said, “When we reached there, the situation was tragic and completely chaotic. People were screaming for help, and some were crying.”
He recalled a small girl lying motionless as water had entered her lungs.
The driver and other rescuers performed chest compressions on her and helped her breathe again. Slowly, her breathing became normal, he said.
Bamande said they prioritised rescuing women and children.
A fishing trawler and another tourist boat already arrived at the scene before them, the driver said.
Bamane said he and his team were heading to Mumbai from Jawahar Deep on Wednesday evening when the control room gave the information about the accident. They were instructed to reach the spot near JD5 as quickly as possible.
He said their boat had only four people aboard, but they did their best to rescue the stranded individuals before other boats arrived. Among those crying for help, there were three to four foreigners, he said.
“We tried to save as many people as possible,” Bamane said, adding they rescued about 20-25 persons, who were later transferred to naval boats that arrived at the scene.
With 18 years of boat driving experience, Bamane said he had witnessed small rescue operations before but Wednesday’s incident was the most horrific and tragic.
“This is the biggest rescue operation that I have seen so far,” he said.
Iqbal Gothekar, the driver of a small tourist boat, told PTI that 25 to 30 minutes after his boat departed from the Elephanta Island at 3.35 pm, he learned about the incident and was one of the first to reach the accident site.
The people on the capsized boat were frantically waving their hands for help, said Gothekar, a Raigad district native who has been a boat driver since 2004.
He said by the time they reached the spot, a fishing trawler also arrived.
Gothekar said his boat rescued 16 persons, bringing them safely to the Gateway of India. The rescued individuals were taken to a police post.
“In my career, I have never witnessed such an incident,” Gothekar said while recounting the tragedy.
The capsized ferry had a capacity of 80 persons and departed from the Gateway of India for the Elephanta Island about 45 minutes before the incident, which occurred near Butcher Island, according to sources.