Toll now 14; OEM official who was brought from Hyderabad to test speedboat engine among victims

A seven-year-old child is still missing, officials said.  Relatives are still looking for the minor, Yohaan Nisaar Ahmed Pathan, a resident of Goa, who was in Mumbai on a two-day trip with his mother and elder brother.

According to official data, of the 14 victims, two were minors, four women and eight men. The other victims have been identified as Rakesh Nanaji Ahire (34), Harshada Rakesh Ahire (31), Nidhish Rakesh Ahire (5), Mahi Pawara (3), Sakina Pathan (34), Pravin Sharma (34), Mangesh Kelshikar (33), Mohammad Rehan Quraishi (35), Rama Devi Gupta (50), Mahendra Singh Shekhawat (31), Pragya Kamble (39), Deepchand Waghchoure (42) and Deepak Trilekar.

The Indian Express managed to trace relatives and friends of 11 of the 14 victims.

Deepak Tilekar, 29

Deepak Tilekar came to Mumbai from Hyderabad last week to work on a project involving testing of a newly installed motor in one of the speed boats of the Indian Navy.

An engineering professional, who was an expert in the field of boat maintenance, was assigned for the job by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that manufactured and installed the new motor on the boat.

On Wednesday, the speedboat was carrying out a trial run in the sea to test the newly installed motor, when it collided with a wooden passenger boat, killing Deepak who was on board.

His body was taken to Mumbai’s JJ Hospital for postmortem and was later handed over to relatives. He is survived by his mother and four brothers.

Hailing from Hyderabad’s Putrela, Deepak had been working with the organisation for more than five years. “I came to know about the incident last (Wednesday) night around 8 pm. There was no confirmation about his whereabouts and this (Thursday) morning we were told that the body was transferred to JJ Hospital in Mumbai. We came here immediately,” Deepak’s youngest brother, Kishan Tilekar (32), told The Indian Express.

A spokesperson of the OEM company, where he was employed, said that Deepak was standing near the sailor when the collision took place.

“He spoke with our mother yesterday afternoon before going for the sail. He used to call our mother everyday after having his meal to inform that he had eaten. We last spoke a few weeks ago when I told him that he should get married next year,” Kishan said.

A spokesperson from the company said that Deepak was a sincere and diligent employee who enjoyed the testing process of new motors. The spokesperson also said that he was brought to Mumbai specifically for this assignment since it was an important task.

“I knew him for five years and he was very professional who would never say ‘no’ to any work. He enjoyed sailing and was part of similar assignments earlier in Chennai and Goa,” the spokesperson said.

Sakina Ashraf Pathan,34

Sakina Ashraf Pathan and her two sons, were in Mumbai on a work-related trip, which they decided to double up into a vacation. On Wednesday, Sakina took her two sons, sister Sonali Gaunder and another relative on a ferry to Elephanta caves.

While three members of the family survived the accident, Sakina Pathan lost her life and her younger son,  Yohaan Nisaar Ahmed Pathan, 7, is missing.

Sakina’s sister, Sonali Gaunder, told The Indian Express, “My sister is gone and there are no updates on her seven-year-old son… We are yet to receive any updates on his whereabouts. We have been told that a missing case has been registered at the Colaba police station.”

Md Rehan Quraishi, 35

A resident of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, Mohammed Rehan Qureshi was on a short business trip to Mumbai along with his boss. He was the sole breadwinner of his family of seven, which comprises his parents, brother and three younger sisters.

Tragedy struck the Qureshi household days before his younger sister’s marriage, scheduled on December 27.

Qureshi worked at a garment store and would frequently come to Mumbai on small business trips involving marketing.

Md Mokin Raza, Qureshi’s brother-in-law, told The Indian Express, “It seems that they wrapped up their work early and decided to go on a ferry ride to Elephanta Wednesday evening. His boss Abhijit Singh managed to survive, but Rehan is no more. He was the only earning member of the family as his brother recently completed his education and is looking for a job.”

After receiving the news, Raza, a resident of Mumbai, rushed to the site. On Thursday evening, Rehan’s remains were taken to Bihar.

Ramarati Devi Gupta, 50

Earlier this month, Ramarati Devi Gupta, along with her daughter, came to Mumbai from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur for a relative’s wedding. The family decided to visit the Elephanta caves on Wednesday. Gupta was on the boat with her daughter and another relative — whose marriage she had come to attend — and his wife.

Her relative Ajay Gupta (Ramarati was his mother-in-law’s sister) said, “After attending the marriage, she had been staying at my brother-in-law’s house in the suburbs. As she was going to return back within a couple of days, the family had made a plan to visit the Elephanta. While Ramarati’s daughter and other two members of our family survived the accident, we lost her.”

Mahi Paware, 3

Three-year-old Mahi Sairam Paware, the youngest victim of the ferry tragedy, was from Dhule’s Sirpur. She was in the city with the family who came on a two-day trip.

According to Mahi’s relative, she was on the boat along with her mother when the tragedy struck. “We had come to Mumbai for two days and were supposed to return tomorrow (Friday),” the relative shared.

Pravin Sharma,34

Pravin Sharma, a native of Telangana, died of head injuries, according to the postmortem report. His brother who arrived from Telangana refused to comment.

“While most patients’ postmortem reports showed that they had died due to drowning, Pravin had suffered injuries on his head and other parts,” said officials.

He had trauma to his shoulder, arm and abdomen, as per the postmortem report.