For the past 48 hours, a team of 50 people aboard nine ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard has been searching for John Pathan, a seven-year-old boy who went missing off the coast of Mumbai. again The boat overturned Fourteen people, including navy personnel, were killed when it collided with a navy speedboat during an engine test on Wednesday. Johan is the only passenger who is missing.
“Six Navy and three Coast Guard surface craft are involved in the search and rescue operation, which will continue until the boy is found. The search covers a large specified area,” a defense spokesman said.
As the incident took place during a full moon, strong sea currents made the search difficult. That led authorities to initially deploy helicopters, but since then, the Navy and Coast Guard have continued their search, with nine ships operating continuously.
Rescue operations are expected to last 72 hours from the time of the incident, but officials say their efforts will continue as long as necessary.
Also, three patrol boats have been deployed by the Mumbai Port Zone Police for the search. “Police have also roped in fishermen, along with other agencies like the Mumbai Port Trust, to trace the missing boy,” said a senior police officer.
Johan’s mother Sakina Pathan again drowned in the accident and Johan was last seen in her arms. A Pathan family from Mapusa, Goa had come to Mumbai for work and had planned a short vacation. Their journey turned tragic within a few hours of boarding the ferry from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island on Wednesday. The boat was reportedly overloaded, and Johan’s father Ashraf Pathan recalled the lack of safety precautions. “…We saw that the boat was overloaded. I was holding our ten-month-old baby and my wife Sakina was holding Johan. After the accident, my wife, I and other members could not find any life jackets,” Ashraf told The Indian Express. .
Though her younger son and sister-in-law Sonali Gounder survived, Sakina breathed her last on Wednesday. He was taken to INHS Sandhani Hospital in Karanje, Navi Mumbai. The body was kept at Uran Rural Hospital for post-mortem. On Thursday, the family collected his remains from Uran Rural Hospital and left for his hometown Goa, where he was cremated.
While Ashraf is away in Goa for his wife’s funeral, his friends are staying in Mumbai and are keeping him informed of any updates on Johan. However, till Friday afternoon, Ashraf had not received any update about his son.
A kindergarten student, Johann would enter first grade the following year. Sonali had earlier told The Indian Express that the family would return to Goa within the next two days. “While we are survivors, Sakina’s loss has shocked us. We are told that a missing persons case has been registered at the Colaba police station. Although it was a navy boat, the authorities did not give us any updates,” she said.
According to the family, they lost Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 in cash, Sakina’s purse, other valuables and some recently bought bags.
So far 14 people have died when a boat capsized near Karanje on Wednesday. Within a few hours of the accident, 13 people died and the 14th Hansaram Bhati was pulled out of the sea on Thursday evening.
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