1947 Ramdas ship disaster

1947 Ramdas ship disaster occurred near Bombay (now Mumbai) in India. The Indian passenger ship SS Ramdas, while bound for Rewas in Maharashtra, capsized on 17 July 1947, near Gull Island (Kashyacha Khadak), ten miles from Colaba Point, killing 690 of the people on board.

The disaster

Ramdas was a coastal passenger ferry owned by the Indian Cooperative Steam Navigation Company. On 17 July 1947, at around 8:05 a.m., while en route from Bombay to Rewas, she was caught in huge monsoon waves. While she was passing the island of Kashacha Khadak, one of the waves caught her on the starboard side, resulting in the passengers rushing to the port side and causing her to capsize.

The port authorities knew of the tragedy only when a few of the survivors swam to safety and reached the Sassoon Docks and broke the news at 3:00 p.m. Some of the survivors swam across and reached the northern coast of Raigad near Rewas. Some people were rescued by fishermen from Rewas.

Of the 713 passengers on board, 690 died. Most passengers were from the Girgaum and Parel areas. They were mostly workers from Pen, Roha, and Alibag. Survivors included the ship's captain, Sheikh Suleman Ibrahim, who later provided the facts of the incident.

aftermath

For the rescue operation mounted by the Rewas fisermen, the Indian government allotted some land and a jetty to them. The resulting settlement was subsequently called Bodni.

The wreck of Ramdas resurfaced on its own at Ballard Pier off the Indian coast at Bombay in 1957.

External links

• Times Relief Fund