FIR against Navy driver for speedboat crash that killed 13
An FIR has been registered against the driver of a Navy speedboat by Colaba police under sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for negligence and endangering life. Survivor Natharam Chaudhary, a resident of Mumbai's Sakinaka, had filed the complaint on the basis of which this FIR was registered. As many as 13 people lost their lives off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday when the Navy speedboat rammed into a passenger ferry.
Victims identified, compensation announced for bereaved families
The crash happened around 4:00pm when the Navy craft, on engine trials, lost control and rammed into the ferry Neel Kamal near Karanja. The ferry was headed to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination, from Gateway of India. Among those killed in the crash were seven men, four women, and two children. They included Navy personnel and workers of the Naval Armament Depot (NAD) boat. While the police have identified 10 victims, two women and one male victim remain unidentified.
Rescue operations initiated, 99 individuals rescued from site
Rescue operations were immediately launched by officials of a pilot vessel of the Jawaharlal Nehru Authority (JNPA) and were soon joined by private vessels, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Police. In total, 99 people were rescued from the spot. The Navy has admitted that a failure in the engine of their vessel could have led to the crash. Investigations are on to see if poor engine quality was involved.
Survivor's complaint leads to FIR against Navy driver
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh for each deceased's next of kin. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also announced ₹5 lakh compensation from the CM relief fund for bereaved families. Both CM Fadnavis and the Indian Navy have ordered separate inquiries into the incident.
