Drowning, trauma confirmed causes in Mumbai ferry collision fatalities
The deceased included two children—a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl—and nine adults, comprising five men and four women aged between 30 and 40, with one woman aged 50.
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A small boat as its crashes into a ferry off Mumbai coast, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (PTI Photo)Autopsy reports on the 13 victims of the ferry collision off Mumbai’s coast have revealed drowning as the primary cause of death in most cases, with clinical findings including frothy fluid in airways, severe lung congestion and cyanosis of fingernails and lips, indicative of oxygen deprivation. One victim also exhibited multiple traumatic injuries, including a severe head wound, consistent with the impact of the collision.
Dr Babaso Maruti Kalel, medical superintendent at Indira Gandhi Rural Hospital in Uran and a forensic medicine expert, conducted post-mortems on 11 victims. The deceased included two children—a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl—and nine adults, comprising five men and four women aged between 30 and 40, with one woman aged 50.
“All victims, except one, died due to asphyxia caused by drowning,” Dr Kalel explained. When individuals drown, their lungs become waterlogged, preventing oxygen from entering the bloodstream. This leads to asphyxia, or suffocation, which is the immediate cause of death. The clinical signs observed in these cases were consistent with drowning: bluish discolouration of fingernails and lips (cyanosis), congestion of blood vessels in eyes and ballooning of lungs caused by inhalation of water. Dissection revealed frothy fluid mixed with blood in the airways, indicative of internal haemorrhage caused by water forcing its way into the lungs.
“This froth, a combination of air, water and blood is a hallmark sign of drowning,” Dr Kalel added. “It signifies that lungs were unable to exchange oxygen, leading to rapid organ failure and death.”
One victim, identified as Pravin Sharma, had additional injuries — a severe head injury on the left side, along with trauma to his shoulder, arm and abdomen. These injuries were consistent with the collision’s impact and compounded the effects of drowning.
At the government-run JJ Hospital, autopsies on two other victims also pointed to drowning as the primary cause of death. “The pattern of findings strongly aligns with asphyxia due to water inhalation, with no evidence of external injuries suggesting other causes,” noted a senior forensic expert from JJ Hospital.
These observations reinforce the conclusion that drowning was the predominant mechanism of death across the victims.
The incident occurred when an Indian Navy speedboat lost control during engine trials and collided with the passenger ferry Neelkamal, which was enroute to UNESCO World Heritage site Elephanta Caves. The collision resulted in the ferry capsizing, leaving 13 dead. The Indian Navy has stated that the speedboat lost control due to an engine malfunction. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.
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