Raw hand was steering boat

Ferry operators claim that most of the ferry passengers had been rescued by the time the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Police arrived on the scene of the mishap

- Dharmesh Thakkar

Senior naval officers and mariners have raised disconcerting questions about the manner in which the Indian Navy rigid inflatable boat (RIB), purportedly on sea trial, crashed into a passenger ferry, Neel Kamal, off Butcher island on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the death of 13 persons and injuries to several others.

Seasoned mariners are aghast at the seamanship of the RIB crew which failed to manoeuvre the speeding craft away from the ferry. According to sources, the naval craft, which was undergoing engine trials and veered out of control and crashed into the passenger ferry, was helmed by a junior rating who panicked after an engine throttle malfunction and could not control the speed.