29 February,2016 07:24 AM IST | | Pallavi Smart
One person died and 10 were hospitalised after a boat ferrying a marriage party capsized near Naigaon Jetty yesterday. Since the boat was carrying 73 people, it capsized as soon it started its journey
One person died and 10 were hospitalised after a boat ferrying a marriage party capsized near Naigaon Jetty yesterday. Since the boat was carrying 73 people, which is twice its capacity, it capsized as soon it started its journey.
A poster for the wedding of Dipesh Patil and Nisha Bhoir
The boat was headed to Panju Island for the wedding of Dipesh Patil, a resident of Umela in Vasai district, and Nisha Bhoir from Panju Island. Since the accident occurred close to Naigaon, locals, fire brigade and disaster management professionals immediately reached for help.
The much-excited marriage party ignored the boatman's warning of overloading the small fiber boat, which very soon lost balance. Since many passengers didn't know how to swim, chaos gripped the area.
While Ramchnadra Babaji Mhatre (54), a resident of Umela and a teacher, died in the incident and four of the 10 passengers hospitalized were critical. The injured were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals.
"Four women passengers - two on ventilators and two are also critical - were admitted at Cardinal Gracious Hospital in Vasai. Sanchit Patil, a resident of Arnala in Virar, is reported to be stable and a year-old girl Falguni Patil is recovering at Alliance Hospital," said Dr Hemant Patil from the Alliance Hospital.
Meanwhile, the wedding venue was shifted to Valmiki Temple in Umela, where Dipesh and Nisha later got married. Nisha was in tears throughout the ceremony as she took the accident as a bad omen and thought that her marriage wouldn't last.
Ashish Bhoir, Sarpanch of Panju island, said, "This tragedy could have been avoided had there been no overcrowding. It was an unfortunate incident and we are cooperating with police in their investigation."
The Vasai gaon police have registered a case of accidental death. N Bhosle, Deputy Superintendent of the police, Vasai, said, "We will be questioning the boat owner and also the boatman."
