Mumbai: 2 fishermen die mysteriously, while 4 others hospitalised

The boat on which the fishermen were travelling

Two fishermen were found dead and four others were found unconscious under mysterious circumstances in the dock area of Mumbai, falling under the jurisdiction of the Yellowgate police station. The victims may have allegedly succumbed to toxic gas inhalation. The two deceased have been identified as Srinavar Yadav, 35, and Nagadond Rangswamy, 27, by the Yellowgate police.

The unfortunate event unfolded on December 25, 2023, when a fishing boat returned from its trip. On the morning of December 26, around 11 am, while unloading the catch, a worker entered the section where the fish were stored for sale. "Upon entering, Yadav immediately lost consciousness. Two crew members who went down to assist also fainted," revealed a survivor who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Later, even I am not sure what happened. I felt dizzy and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital," he said. Sarala Vasave, senior police inspector of Yellowgate police station, told mid-day, "The incident occurred at about 11 in the morning when the fishermen were unloading the boat that had returned the previous night from a fishing trip. The initial person who entered the section could not be saved, as the two attempting the rescue also fainted."

Regarding the distress call, she said, "The docks are a crowded place. Someone might have noticed the crew on the deck faint, prompting a call for help. As the crowd gathered, all six were removed from the boat and transported to JJ Hospital. Two were unfortunately declared dead before admission and the condition of the other four is reported to be stable as of 7 PM on December 26. We received a call from JJ hospital about the incident around 1 PM." She added, "An accidental death report (ADR) has been filed."

Expert opinion

Providing some insight into the incident, Dr Vinayak Saverdaker, the medical superintendent of St George's Hospital, said, "This should not generally happen while unloading a fresh batch of fish caught the previous night. There can be many underlying causes, but common causes include the high presence of gases like hydrogen or nitrogen in the chamber, resulting in difficulty in breathing, lack of oxygen, dizziness, and ultimately, death."

Explaining the possibility of inhaling toxic gases, he said, "Another potential reason could be the inhalation of toxic gases like hydrogen sulfide. In coastal areas, hydrogen sulfide could easily form, leading to the unconsciousness and death of the fishermen. Being heavier than air, it would have collected in the chamber, causing the incident."

"Another possible toxic gas is ammonia. Since the boat had raw fish, they could easily have rotted if there wasn't enough ice to preserve them and lead to form ammonia. Ammonia, being lighter than air, would have risen as soon as the compartment door was opened, exposing the fishermen to the toxic gas and explaining the fainting on the deck," he said. Dr Saverdaker said that the post mortem will shed more light on the causes and the gas which was responsible for this incident.

11 am
The time the incident occurred