Ferry disaster passenger accuses Indian navy vessel of ‘showing off’ as video shows moment of crash

Ten civilians and 3 navy personnel killed

A video has captured the moment a speeding Indian navy boat rammed into a passenger ferry off the Mumbai coast, killing 13 people.

Ten civilians and three navy personnel were killed when the speedboat lost control and hit the ferry on Wednesday, Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra, said.

The ferry, called Neel Kamal, was carrying 1116 people for a sightseeing trip from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Caves, a Unesco world heritage site when the accident happened.

At least two of the passengers were still missing, state officials said on Thursday. Four of those rescued were in critical condition while 97 were stable, the municipal corporation said.

The video, shot by a passenger named Natharam Chaudhary, shows the speedboat zigzagging around in the sea at a distance from the passenger ferry.

It then makes a sharp turn towards the ferry, losing control and ramming into it. As it hits, passengers can be heard screaming.

As the video circulated around social media, commentators asked why the speedboat came near the ferry, calling it “reckless” behaviour.

Ferries ply daily around the Mumbai coast and have fixed routes.

A man from Nala Sopara town near Mumbai who was on the ferry with two family members for a merry ride said he lost his aunt, 55, in the accident.

He told local broadcaster Mirror Now the navy boat driver was “showing off his actions to us” and approached the ferry from the front.

“The ferry was 30-40 minutes into its journey when a speedboat was taking rounds in the distance,” he said. “Nothing happened when he took the first round but when he tried to show off his actions to us he slammed us and some of those on the boat came into the ferry.”

He claimed that no passenger was given a lifejacket at the start of the journey.

Indian defence personnel carrying out a rescue operation after an accident off the Mumbai coast (AFP)

The navy said the speedboat suffered engine failure and lost control during a test ride.

"Today afternoon, an Indian navy craft lost control while undertaking engine trials in Mumbai harbour due to engine malfunction,” it said. “As a result the boat collided with a passenger ferry which subsequently capsized.

"Survivors rescued from the incident site are being shifted to nearby hospitals. Search and rescue efforts have been immediately launched wherein 4 naval helicopters, 11 naval crafts, one Coast Guard boat and three marine police crafts have been pressed in action for recovering the survivors.”

Mr Natharam Chaudhary, who shot the video, later filed a police complaint against the speedboat driver and other navy personnel responsible for the mishap.

The navy said it had launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Commentators on social media lashed out at the navy over the “lapses” and asked why the boat was travelling at such a high speed.

“It is the height of irresponsibility and professional failure that a navy boat hits a passenger ferry killing 13 persons off Mumbai. Is navy chief sleeping over such lapses? At least Rajnath should order a probe and take swift action against negligent personnel,” one user named S Vasudeva Rao posted on X, asking defence minister Rajnath Singh to take action.

Sharing the “shocking video” of the incident, another user Anand Sarkar said: “From the video it looks like extremely reckless stuff by the navy boat.”

Arif Bamane, driver of a Mumbai Port Trust pilot boat, told the PTI news agency that it was the most horrific accident he had seen in his 18-year career.

"When we reached there, the situation was tragic and completely chaotic. People were screaming for help, and some were crying,” he said. “This is the biggest rescue operation that I have seen so far.”