The police inquired why the trial run was being carried out on such a heavily trafficked maritime route.
Mumbai: The Colaba Police in Mumbai have sent a letter to the Indian Navy and the Maharashtra Maritime Board requesting detailed information regarding the recent accident in the Arabian Sea where a ferry and a naval boat collided resulting in 14 fatalities.
Earlier this week an Indian Navy boat while conducting a trial lost control and crashed into a ferry en route to Elephanta Island. The incident claimed 14 lives and left several others injured. The police have raised questions about why the trial was being conducted on such a heavily trafficked maritime route and who authorized it. Investigations are also underway into the protocols followed during the trial.
Additionally there are claims under investigation that a throttle issue with the naval boat caused it to lose control and crash into the ferry. The authorities are also looking into whether the ferry was carrying more passengers than its capacity.
The Indian Navy has launched a Board of Inquiry to investigate the collision. In response to the incident authorities have made life jackets mandatory for all passengers taking boat rides from the Gateway of India.
The death toll from the accident increased to 14 on Thursday with the recovery of the body of a man who was among the two missing passengers. A search operation is still ongoing to locate a seven years old boy who remains missing. Out of the 113 people aboard both vessels 98 were rescued including two who were injured. The naval boat had six people on board two of whom survived.
