Six dead as fishing boat rams passenger ferry

Kochi: Six passengers of a private ferry plying the Vypeen-Fort Kochi estuarine stretch drowned and several others were grievously injured, with four of them in a hospital ICU,  when a 300-horsepower country fishing craft, revving at roughly eight knots, rammed the 35-year-old boat on Wednesday.

The tragedy occurred when fishing vessel, Besilel, owned by Cochin Service collided with MB Bharath  at Kamalakadavu jetty at 1.40 pm, some 30 metres from Fort Kochi jetty. The fishing vessel hit the port side (left side of the vessel) of MB Bharath which broke into two and  sank within minutes  of the  collision. The sinking vessel was so  close to the jetty, which helped in reducing the casualties.

The dead were identified as Sainaba, 70, of Azheekkal, Sindhu, 40,  of Kandakkadav, Joseph 50, Sudheer, 35, of Mattanchery, Volga, 40, of Amaravathy, and Ayyappan, 60, Trippunithura. There were  unconfirmed reports of two more  deaths.

Kumbalangi native Fousia and two others  were  said to be missing.  The condition  of six persons,  including two children,  at the Medical Tru-st Hospital, was critical. As many as 26 persons were rescued from the scene, said DMO N.K. Kuttappan.

The actual number of persons on board MB Bharath when  it  capsized was  not known. According to sources,  there were close to 35 persons. The Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD) sources said that 29 passengers took tickets from Vypeen  jetty and there were four boat crew on board.  The Navy, Port Trust,  Coast Guard, marine enforcement wing,  police and local residents conducted rescue operations. According to Sijo of Fort Kochi,  who jumped from the vessel soon after the collision,  the speed of the fishing vessel caused the accident.  

“Three of us jumped into the water.   The fishing vessel rammed into one side of the boat where the propeller was fixed,” he said.

There were only three boys. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to the relatives  after post- mortem. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was in Kochi, ordered a probe into the  incident. He also announced financial aid  to the bereaved families. Fort Kochi police registered a case against the fishing vessel’s syrang (driver), Shiju of Kannamali,    for culpable homicide under section 304 of IPC. Coastal ADGP Muhammed Yasin, Minister for Ports K. Babu, Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden, Benny Behannan MLA, Collector T. Rajamanikam and  Kochi Mayor Tony Chammani monitored the rescue operations.