Latest News

Thirteen dead after marine vessel hits traveler boat off Mumbai

A minimum of 13 individuals passed away when a boat with more than 100 guests capsized off the coast of India's monetary capital Mumbai after hitting an Indian Navy boat on Wednesday, officials said.

The navy said 99 individuals were rescued with efforts continuous for others.

An Indian Navy craft lost control while undertaking engine trials in Mumbai Harbour due to engine malfunction. As a result, the boat collided with a traveler ferryboat which subsequently capsized, the Navy said in a statement on X.

Resident TV channels showed a boat carrying a minimum of 5 individuals striking the passenger vehicle, causing the mishap.

The speedboat crashed into our boat and water began entering our boat and it overturned. The chauffeur asked us to use lifejackets, a traveler on board the vessel told ABP Majha news channel.

I swam for fifteen minutes before I was rescued by another boat, said the traveler, who did not determine himself.

The privately-owned traveler boat, called Neelkamal, was heading towards the Elephanta caverns, a popular tourist location off the coast of Mumbai, when it capsized, BMC said.

The caverns, which see a steady stream of travelers through the year, are a UNESCO heritage website and were built in the 5th-6th centuries A.D.

Boats from the Gateway of India, Mumbai's southernmost point, make regular journeys to shuttle tourists to the site, an hour away.

(source: Reuters)