Goa ferry chaos: Betim boat sinks at dock; rainwater floods tank, rescue in full swing

PANAJI: A ferryboat called Betim, docked at the Chorao Island ramp, was partially submerged on Monday morning due to one of its tanks being flooded with water.Preliminary investigations by the river navigation department suggest the issue may have arisen from rainwater not being properly drained from the tanks.Vikram Raje Bhosale, director of the River Navigation Department, stated that the responsibility lies with the coxswain, "who failed to check and drain the tanks."He assured that the fire brigade is on-site and that large water pumps are being deployed."Once the water is removed, the ferry should float back to normal. The ferry itself remains in safe working condition, with no damage to the hull, and the blockage of outlets may have contributed to the flooding," he told TOI."We will salvage the ferryboat," he added.