Ferry boat tragedy: Rescuers find body of missing 7-year-old boy

A joint rescue team of the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Police found the body of Zohan Pathan, a Goa resident, floating near the Yellow Gate police station, around 8 km from the accident site, on Saturday morning, officials said

MUMBAI: A rescue team on Saturday found the body of a seven-year-old boy who was missing after a naval speedboat crashed into a ferry carrying 110 people on December 18 in the Mumbai harbour, taking the death toll in the incident to 15.

Mumbai, India. 21, 2024: (File Photo ) Missing 7 year-old boy Zohan`s body found near Gateway Of India.Zohan missing after the Navy speed boat collided with tourist Ferry Neel Kamal on Wednesday, resulting in the loss of 15 passengers' lives, while more than 100 have been rescued by the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Police. Mumbai, India. Dec 22, 2024. (Photo by HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

A joint rescue team of the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Police found the body of Zohan Pathan, a Goa resident, floating near the Yellow Gate police station, around 8 km from the accident site, on Saturday morning, officials said. “The body is identified to be of the missing Zohan Pathan,” said deputy commissioner of police (zone 1) Pravin Munde.

Pathan was on the ferry with his parents, his 10-month-old brother and his aunt on December 18. While his father, younger brother and aunt were rescued, his mother’s body was found on the day of the accident.

Zohan’s father, Ashraf Pathan, who was in Mapusa, Goa, for his wife Safeena’s funeral, was informed that his son’s body has been found, the police said. Zohan’s body will be handed to the family after a post-mortem is conducted at Mumbai’s JJ Hospital, the police added.

Ashraf Pathan, who has a garments business in Goa, had brought his family—his wife Safeena, children Zohan and Azaan, and sister-in-law Sonalee—to Mumbai for a work-cum-leisure trip.

“After completing my business-related work, we decided to visit Elephanta Island,” said Ashraf, who is on his way back to Mumbai to take his son’s body. “We usually never get time to visit the sea despite staying in Goa. The crash took place around 4 pm after we sailed for around half an hour. My wife Safeena and Zohan had stepped to the lower floor to get life jackets. I managed to save Azaan [initially], but we lost both [children eventually].”

The police said the search and rescue efforts launched by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and the Marine police included 15 boats and four helicopters. All 113 people onboard both vessels have now been accounted for, the police added. The 15 deceased included a Navy officer and two employees of a naval contractor.

Neel Kamal, a ferry with over 100 people onboard, was proceeding from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination in the Mumbai harbour, on December 18 when it was hit by a naval speedboat conducting engine trials. The ferry had a capacity of 90 people, which means it was overloaded at the time of the accident, officials said.

However, the Maharashtra Maritime Board has determined that the cause of the accident was the collision of the Navy speedboat with the ferry. The Navy is investigating whether engine failure caused the speedboat to spin out of control. There were six people onboard the Navy boat, of which two survived.

A case has been registered against the Navy boat’s driver at the Colaba police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections including causing death by negligence, actions that endanger the personal safety or life of others, rash or negligent navigation of a vessel, and acts of mischief that cause wrongful loss or damage to individuals or the public.