One dead, another missing as fishing boat capsizes in sea
On Saturday night, Vijay Bamania (35) along with Usman Bhandari (22) and Vinod Goel (45) went to the deep waters of the Arabian Sea in their fishing boat for the catch.
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People gather near Versova in Mumbai during a search for missing persons on Sunday. (PTI/File) One person died while another is missing after their fishing boat capsized in the sea on Saturday night. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said the rescue operation for the missing person was stopped around 1 pm on Sunday following high tide in the sea.
On Saturday night, Vijay Bamania (35) along with Usman Bhandari (22) and Vinod Goel (45) went to the deep waters of the Arabian Sea in their fishing boat for the catch. Three other boats with three men each had accompanied them, said police.
“They ventured into the sea at around 6.30pm. However, owing to high tide, they decided to come back,” said an officer.
While returning, one of the boats capsized around 2-3 km away from the coast. Three other boats returned to the shore when they realised that the fourth boat was missing.
“Bamania swam back to the shore near Madh Island and alerted the police at midnight. He has been admitted to hospital,” said a police officer. As Bhandari and Goel were missing, the authorities were informed.
Civic officials said a search operation was launched on Sunday morning after a formal complaint was lodged. During the search, the body of Vijay Goel was found and sent to Cooper Hospital. However, officials maintained that owing to the high tide the rescue operation was stopped around 1 pm. “The search operation was being carried out jointly with local fishermen so that we have a clarity on the routes they take while going for fishing. The Indian Navy had also pressed a helicopter into operation. However, the high tide affected our visibility and we had to stop the operation temporarily on Sunday afternoon,” said an official.
Civic officials said rescue operations could begin only from Monday morning. The Versova police have registered a case of accidental death and further investigation is underway.
Before this incident, between June and August, a total of eight persons lost their lives in multiple cases of drowning reported from the beaches of Mumbai. The first drowning incident was reported on June 12, when five boys, between the age group of 12 and 16 years, got washed away in the sea at Juhu Koliwada.
The second incident was reported on July 9 when a 32-year-old woman who had come to Bandra with her family fell down into the sea near Bandstand while clicking a selfie and got washed away into the deep waters. The body was recovered the next day by the coast guard.
Later on, July 16, three minor boys, aged between 12 and 13 years, got washed away by strong tidal waves in Marve Beach.
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