At least eight people were killed as a boat ‘Al Mehboob Shah’ carrying around 45 people(as per the immediate primary report after the mishap) sank off the coast of the Bedi port near Jamnagar in Gujarat on Tuesday morning at around 11.15 a.m. All those who died were from Bedi’s Vagher Muslim community.

15 survivors were taken to Jamnagar’s Guru Gobind Singh general hospital immediately after mishap.

Rescue work was carried out by local fishermen initially. JMC, Navy and Gujarat Maritime Board too joined the rescue work latter on. District Police Chief, Collector, Jamnagar Municipal Corporation officials etc. rushed to the spot. Boat’s owner Abdul Suleman Kakkal survived the mishap. He was hospitalized in Jamnagar.

Boats from Bedi jetty take about 1.5 hours to reach the Pirotan island. Since the beach is very shallow, the boats can only reach the island during high tide and leave the island during high tide. Most visitors to Pirotan island come in the morning with the high tide and leave by evening.

Boat ‘Al Mehboob Shah’ was departing for Pirotan island which is located at 12 nautical miles (22 km) from Bedi port. Boat was carrying storage of water and 45 devotees of Khwaja Khizer Alaihisalaam shrine. The shrine of Khwaja Khijer Alaihisalaam is located on the Pirotan island. The Pirotan island was originally known “Pir jo thaan” meaning the place of Khwaja Khizer Alaihisalaam.

Some questions are being raised soon after the mishap: Why Fishing boat was used for carrying passengers? Was there anyone at the port to check seaworthiness or safety of the ships? Pirotan island is protected marine century area, where government permit is mandatory for entry, then how 8 boats full of some 250 devotees were on their way to the Pirotan island without permission?

Names of those who were dead(as available at 1.00 pm):

1. Hushna Anwar Jeda(35)
2. Kulsum Hasam(37)
3. Amina Habib Sodha(45)
4. Amir Hussain Jafar(6)
5. Abbas Salim(6)
6. Salim Haji Hasam(5)
7. Hussain Salim Vagher(20)