Families of those who lost their lives in the Mumbai boat capsize were on Wednesday searching for answers amid chaos as there was no update on the fate of their loved ones.
Gautam Gupta, who is undergoing treatment at St. George’s Hospital, was among those seeking news about his aunt. “I went to Elephanta Island with my aunt and brother. After the incident, I was brought here and later saw my brother, but I did not meet my aunt. I have asked everyone, but no one knows anything,’ he said.
After the passengers of the overturned boat were rushed to hospitals across Mumbai, family members rushed to Gateway of India hoping for answers.
The situation was chaotic, with initial reports suggesting that one person was injured and 21 rescued. However, the death toll reached 13 by evening.
The ferry Neelkamal carrying more than 110 passengers capsized on Wednesday after a Navy speedboat ran aground at Elephanta Island off the coast of Mumbai.
A total of 101 victims were taken to hospitals in the Mumbai metropolitan area, many are still unidentified.
Relatives who had just learned of the disaster went from post to post looking for their loved ones.
Among them, Santoshi Parmar also came from Vasai in search of her family.
“Around 5pm, I got a call from my husband who was on the boat that crashed. He was crying that our younger niece is missing. Eight members of our family were on board a boat going to Elephanta Cave. Now two of them, my brother-in-law and my niece, are missing,’ she said in tears.
His relatives visiting from Madhya Pradesh were to spend a day at Elephanta Island.
Santoshi anxiously awaited the release of another list of victims, hoping to find out where her missing relatives had been taken.
By Wednesday evening, the civic body confirmed that at least 110 people had been taken to hospital, with 13 confirmed dead.
The dead were spread across several hospitals, including NDK Hospital, JNPT Hospital, and Navy Dockyard Hospital in Mora.
Kalbadevi resident Kamlesh Kumar was also at the gateway looking for his family friend Hansraj. Kamlesh had five family friends come from Rajasthan to Mumbai for a housewarming ceremony and decided to visit Elephanta Island. “Immediately after the accident, we got a call and we rushed to the spot. Four members of our family were found but one Hansraj is still missing. His name was not on the first list of victims, so we are waiting for the next one to find out where he is. Officials have assured us of providing an updated list soon,” said Kamlesh.
Hitendra Rathod, who was with Kamlesh, also expressed similar concerns. Although four members of their group were found, it was not known which hospital they were in.
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