Watch: Indian Navy Speedboat Loses Control & Crashes Into Ferry, Killing 13 People

A fast response boat from the Indian Navy collided with a passenger ferry off the coast of Mumbai, killing at least 13 people on December 18, 2024.

The ferry was on its way to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination known for its ancient temples.

The Navy confirmed the boat was out for speed trials after undergoing an engine replacement. At about 6:30 p.m., a malfunction caused the engine to get stuck at full throttle, sending the speedboat out of control.

The crew tried to correct the issue, but the boat collided with the ferry. Videos captured by passengers on the ferry showed the Navy boat circling before heading straight toward the ferry. The ferry then sank after the collision.

At the time of the crash, the ferry, Neelkamal, had around 110 people on board. 13 people died, including one Navy sailor and two civilian contractors who were on the response boat.

The other fatalities were passengers from the ferry. In total, 101 people were rescued, and four passengers were critically injured and hospitalised.

Search operations continued late into Wednesday night, with 11 rescue boats and six helicopters working to find survivors.

#Indian Navy craft lost control and collided with passenger ferry Neel Kamal near Karanja, Mumbai.
🔹 99 rescued
🔹 13 fatalities, including 1 Navy personnel
🔹 Rescue ops: 4 Navy helicopters, 11 naval craft, Coast Guard & Marine Police on-site.#boataccident pic.twitter.com/Xs3Upz8YsL

— Waseem Zaidi (@ZaidiWaseem7) December 18, 2024

Video Credits: Waseem Zaidi/X

The survivors were taken to nearby jetties and hospitals. As of Thursday afternoon, two people remained missing, and search efforts were still ongoing.

One of the survivors, who had been filming the boat before the crash, said that he initially thought the speedboat was performing stunts.

Other passengers described the scene as chaotic, and many mentioned that ferry staff didn’t provide clear instructions after the crash, leaving passengers to find their way to safety.

One survivor said he swam for 15 minutes before being rescued by another boat.

The government of India, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed deep condolences to the families of those who died.

Modi announced compensation of two lakh rupees ($2,350) for the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees for those injured in the accident.

This is the second such collision in a month. Earlier in November, a submarine collided with a fishing trawler off the coast of Goa, leaving two people missing.

References: BBC, AP News

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