Elephanta boat tragedy: Lives lost, questions linger

The collision between the Neelkamal ferry and an Indian Navy speedboat near Mumbai has left behind a trail of anguish loss and unanswered questions With 14 confirmed fatalities and one person still missing survivors are recounting their harrowing experiences crediting life jackets and sheer luck for their survival Meanwhile desperate relatives of the missing are clinging to hope urging authorities to expedite search and rescue operationslsquoLife jackets saved usrsquoThe Jadhav family shared their experience crediting life jackets for their survival ldquoIf you have a life jacket yoursquore saferdquo they said Recalling the incident Santosh Jadhav a BEST employee told midday ldquoMy relatives had come from the village and we decided to visit Elephanta Caves We boarded the Neelkamal ferry Although we noticed the speeding Navy boat we never imagined it would collide with our ferry When the crash happened the boat broke apart and water rushed inAryaa Jadhav right with her relative Viddhi Jadhav left on the ferryWe scrambled to get life jackets and waited patiently for rescue teams My wife Sunita was untraceable for some time which left me worried My daughter Aryaa kept reassuring me that everything would be fine Later my son informed me that Sunita was safe and admitted to BPT Hospitalrdquo Aryaa Jadhav 18 added ldquoLife jackets and the lifeguards saved us After the crash I saw an injured speedboat passenger beside me in the water I told him to stay calm since he was wearing a life jacket My mother was missing for hours but when I finally met her I hugged her tightly with tears of joyrdquolsquoItrsquos a miracle we survivedrsquoArman and Muskan Ali a recently married couple described the incident as a nightmare ldquoWe had come to Mumbai as tourists and clicked a photo at Gateway of India to capture a happy memory But shortly after boarding the ferry the speeding boat collided with us and water began flooding in I held onto a pole on the upper deck while my wife clung to me until we accessed a rope It was utter chaos as many passengers didnrsquot have life jackets Itrsquos a miracle we survived unharmedrdquo said Arman a chef in ChennaiDesperate search for loved onesRelatives of the missing are anxiously awaiting updates A sevenyearold Zohan Pathan has been missing since the incident ldquoWe lost my relative Safina Pathan and are heading back to Goa for her last rites But Zohan is still missing and wersquore praying for a miraclerdquo said Sonali Gonder 30 who works on a cruise shipArman Ali and his wife Muskan clicked a picture before boarding the ferryThe rescuers recovered the body of one missing person late on Thursday identified as Hansaram Bhati ldquoWe have identified the individual and his body was found in the seardquo said Dr Pravin Munde DCP Zone 1 ldquoHis body was recovered from beneath the vessel Efforts are ongoing to locate the sevenyearold boy who is still missingrdquo the police stated Jogaram Bhati 60 shared his anguish ldquoHansaram his wife Santosh and their relatives boarded the Neelkamal ferry While the others were rescued Hansaram was missingrdquoMissing belongings add to griefThe family of Deepchand Waghchore a plumber from Govandi is mourning his loss A relative said ldquoWe were informed that he had been admitted to a hospital after the accident but he didnrsquot survive Adding to our pain some of his cash and a gold chain are missing His wife is in shock and demanding justicerdquoForeigners rescuedAccording to police one Canadian citizen two UK citizens and two German citizens have been rescued