#MumbaiFerryTragedy : Death Toll Now Rises To 15 ; Search Operations Confirm No Unaccounted Body Left

The search operation launched by naval boats to locate a seven-year-old boy missing after a Navy craft rammed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast three days ago continued , an official said.

The SAR (search and rescue) operation will continue at least till Saturday evening, the official said.

With the recovery of the body of a 43-year-old man on Thursday evening, the death toll in the December 18 tragedy rose to 14.

Unfortunately according to PTI report, The body of a 7-year-old boy missing after the ferry-Navy craft collision off Mumbai coast was found on Saturday morning, taking the death toll in the December 18 tragedy to 15, officials said.

The search operation, however, would continue till the ferry boat is made upright and it is confirmed that there is no unaccounted body left, said a Navy official.

Naval boats found the body of Johan Mohammad Nisar Ahmed Pathan in the Mumbai harbour area after three days of search.

The Navy has launched a probe into one of the deadliest crashes in the city’s harbour area.

A naval helicopter and boats of the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed to look for the missing passengers as part of the SAR operation, the official said.

Of the 113 persons on board both the vessels, 14 died and 98, including two injured, were rescued.

There were six persons on board the Navy craft, of which two survived, the official said.

The tragedy struck when the speeding Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with passenger ferry ‘Neel Kamal’ off near Mumbai coast. The ferry with more than 100 passengers was on its way from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Island, a popular tourist attraction which has a collection of ancient caves.

According to the documents issued by the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), the boat had permission to carry 84 passengers and 6 crew members, but it was overloaded, a police official said. –