Mumbai: Naval patrol vessels recovered the body of Zohan Pathan (7), the 15th victim and the last of the missing persons in the Dec 18 collision between a ferry and an Indian Navy speedboat. An Indian Navy spokesperson said the body was located by a naval patrol boat within Mumbai harbour boundaries Saturday noon. Police confirmed the body’s transfer to J J Hospital for a postmortem.
Following the recovery of Zohan’s body, the Indian Navy intends to end its search and rescue efforts by Sunday afternoon. A naval official said, “The search operation will continue until the ferry boat is positioned upright tomorrow. We can confirm no additional bodies are unaccounted for.”
Meanwhile, the body of a sailor (35) who succumbed to severe injuries in the mishap was laid to rest in his Rajasthan hometown on Friday. Indian Navy reported a surviving chief petty officer, who suffered multiple fractures, faces a lengthy recovery. He is expected to testify who controlled the vessel during the mishap once he regains consciousness.
Ashraf Pathan, Zohan’s father, said, “I had returned to Goa for my wife Shafina’s burial (she too died in the tragedy) on Friday. On Saturday, Mumbai police informed me Zohan’s body was found floating in the sea. Hence, I came from Goa. Now, I am taking my son’s body to Goa in an ambulance.” (With George Mendonca)
