Survivors recount the terrifying moments

Frantic survivors separated from loved ones as they clung to the sinking ferry, many who had risked hypothermia, and some just glad to be alive.

MUMBAI: Frantic survivors separated from loved ones as they clung to the sinking ferry, many who had risked hypothermia, and some just glad to be alive – hope and despair filled the wards of hospitals where survivors of the tragedy had been admitted on Wednesday.

Survivors recount the terrifying moments

Ashraf Pathan, 38, was visiting Mumbai with his wife and two sons. A resident of Goa, Pathan was on the upper deck with his 10-month-old when the accident occurred. “We were approaching Elephanta when we saw a small boat sailing nearby. Suddenly, the boat began to approach at full speed and rammed into our ferry. I haven’t been able to trace my wife and seven-year-old,” said Pathan, at the JNPA Township Hospital in Navi Mumbai.

Pathan was among 57 persons brought to the hospital. One child was brought in dead, three people were critical, and 53 people, including two German nationals, were in stable condition. Officials from the hospital administration said they were given 40 minutes to make arrangements for blankets, mattresses and emergency aid to attend to the survivors.

A 25-strong team comprising doctors, nurses and attendants was pressed into action. Doctors said most of the survivors had sustained minor abrasions, tissue injury and were suffering from hypothermia. “Since most were in the water for a long time, they were shivering. Arrangements were made to keep them warm and they were provided food and a change of clothes. One person’s oxygen saturation levels were not stable and she has been kept under observation, while the rest were discharged,” said Dr Priya Bisht, the hospital’s medical officer.

Recalling the terrifying experience, the survivors said they had hung on to the capsised ferry, hoping to be rescued. Mira Road resident Santosh Jadhav, 48, recalled, “I was on the lower deck, and as soon as the boat hit our ferry, sea water began to seep in. My family and I clutched the side of the boat and I kept motivating others to remain calm and wait for the rescue team.”

In addition to the 57 at JNPA, 25 survivors were taken to the Naval Dockyard, 1 to the INS Ashwini Hospital at Navy Nagar, 9 to St George’s Hospital at CSMT, 12 to Karanja Hospital, and 10 were admitted to NKD Mora Hospital near Uran.

All nine survivors at St George’s Hospital were in stable condition but desperate for news of family members who had been separated from them. Tarun Bhati, 14, did not know where mother was. Rinta Gupta, 30, on holiday from Ghaziabad, was anxious about her mother, who had floated away in the chaos.

Gautam Gupta, 25, a resident of Nalasopara, said, “My family had come here for my wedding a few days ago, so I thought I would show them around.” Recalling the accident, Gupta said, “We saw a navy speed boat circling us. Then it struck our boat. Water started gushing in, and we scrambled for life jackets. We stayed in the water for 30 minutes, going down and coming back up. My mausi got lost.” Gupta was frantically passing around a photo of his aunt, for any information that would help.

Ram Milan Singh, 41, was with three friends on the ill-fated ferry. “It all happened so suddenly. The boat first titled, everyone screamed for life jackets and tried to climb to the upper deck. We were in the water for half an hour.”

Residents of Kurla, Natharam and Jeetu Chaudhary wanted to show their friend from Rajasthan a good time and decided to head to Elephanta. “We were able to get life jackets, but not everyone was lucky. We have no idea where our friend Sharvan is.”

Juhi Pawar, the RMO on duty at St George’s Hospital, said, “They came in wet and cold, so we were worried about possible hypothermia and got them changed and gave them a hot drink. None of the nine have any injuries but we are keeping them overnight and will discharge them based on their vitals.”