A boat carrying about 110 passengers from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves capsized near Elephanta Island on Wednesday afternoon after colliding with a navy speedboat. At least 13 people have been confirmed dead and at least 98 passengers have been rescued so far.
Pictures from before the accident show the small boat was moving in the water with six to seven passengers. The high-speed boat then made a U-turn and headed towards the boat, hitting it hard.
Watch: 13 dead, at least 98 rescued after boat capsizes near Gateway of India, rescue operation underway
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— Indian Express (@IndianExpress) December 18, 2024
The incident happened around 4 pm. “A high-speed military boat crashed into a boat. The boat goes to Elephanta every day at 3 pm,” said Rajendra Padate, the owner of the boat.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), rescue operations are being carried out with the support of the Navy, JNPT, Coast Guard, Yellow Gate police, and local fishing boats, and three teams have been deployed at the scene.
மும்ப்புத்தை அல்தித்தாத்தாயியாய் Naudal, JNPT, ততাকাকাক দ্ল আশিক্লে মচ্চিমার বটিল্য়ান্যান কাচ্যাক্যাল্যা নির্দ্দ্যান
— Eknath Shinde December 18, 2024
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote on X, “A report has been received about an accident involving the Neelkamal boat heading towards Elephanta. Navy, Coast Guard, Port, and police teams rushed to the area to rescue. We are in constant contact with the district administration and the police, and luckily most of the residents have been rescued. However, rescue operations are still ongoing. Orders have been given to install all the necessary equipment to carry out rescue operations.”
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