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People were screaming for help and crying, a Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat said, at the site where a ferry and a Navy craft crashed off the city’s coast.

Thirteen people died and 99 were rescued as an Indian Navy undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with a passenger ferry that was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island.

Among the first ones to reach the accident site, pilots of some boats said this was the most horrific event they had seen in their lives. Among them was Arif Bamane, who told PTI that rescuers prioritised women and children.

A control room call instructed nearby boats, prompting Bamane to steer his boat with four people on board towards the accident site. Around 20-25 people, of whom there were three to four foreigners, were rescued and transferred to naval boats. Among the sights he experienced during rescue operations was a small girl lying motionless as water had entered her lungs. She was given chest compressions after which her breathing became normal, Bamane told PTI.

Iqbal Gothekar saw people frantically waving their hands for help. His small tourist boat reached the accident site and rescued 16 people, bringing them to Gateway of India. “In my career, I have never witnessed such an incident,” Gothekar recounted the event to PTI.

Five terrorists were killed in an encounter in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Thursday. The operation started after security forces launched a search operation in the Kadder area following inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area.

As terrorists opened fire on security forces, an encounter ensued.

“OP KADER, Kulgam. Based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a Joint Operation was launched by the Indian Army and J-K police at Kader, Kulgam. Suspicious activity was observed by vigilant troops and on being challenged, terrorists opened indiscriminate and heavy volumes of fire. Own troops effectively retaliated. Operation is in progress,” Indian Army’s Chinar Corps said in a post on X.

Earlier this month, a terrorist involved in civilians killing at Gagangir, Ganderbal and several other terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir was killed in an encounter in Srinagar district.

Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir: Encounter started between Security forces and militants in Kadder village of Behibagh, under the jurisdiction of Kulgam District, J&K. Heavy exchange of gunfire going on. Two terrorists are believed to be trapped pic.twitter.com/Etwtwlless

— IANS (@ians_india) December 19, 2024

Last month, security forces gunned down three terrorists in encounters in the Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag and Khanyar. The deadliest attack was on October 20 when seven people – including a local doctor and two workers from Bihar – were shot dead by terrorists at a tunnel construction site in Ganderbal district.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, whose son Omar Abdullah took charge as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said the surge in terror attacks could be an attempt to destabilise the newly formed government and demanded an independent probe.