‘Will celebrate son’s miraculous escape’

It nearly was the 3am call that all mothers dread. Thankfully for Shubhangi Kadam, when the phone rang in the dark hours of January 14, it was her son Mayur, calling to inform her that he was alive.

It nearly was the 3am call that all mothers dread. Thankfully for Shubhangi Kadam, when the phone rang in the dark hours of January 14, it was her son Mayur, calling to inform her that he was alive.

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Mayur Kadam was a crew member on board the ill-fated Costa Concordia which sunk off the coast of Italy on January 13. When he called home to inform he was alright, his family was not even aware of the disaster he had survived.

"Till then, none of us had heard about the accident. He told us about what happened and how everything he had, except his mobile phone were lost to the sea," Shubhangi Kadam told Hindustan Times. "We were stunned on hearing the news. When we realised the gravity of the incident, we thanked God he was safe." Subhangi expressed.

A resident of Govind Dham at Kalwa West, Mayur was one of the 4,200 people on board the luxury liner. Of these, 201 were Indians. Mayur told his family about his fortuitous escape, thanks to life boats and help from local sailors. His parents, both retired teachers from Ratnagiri, have four children, with Mayur being the youngest.

A photographer by profession, Mayur was employed with Costa Concordia and was assigned to the liner as a cruise photographer. His sister Suchita said that he left for the cruise in June and was scheduled to be back in February.

As the news of the incident spread, Mayur's profile on social networks was flooded with messages from worried friends and relatives. However, his call averted major panic and stress that his family would have had to suffer. "It is a miracle that our son is safe. We are now eagerly awaiting his arrival home. We will surely celebrate when he is back," said his relieved mother.