KOCHI: A Kochi Water Metro boat lost control after a mechanical failure and hit a pontoon. A disaster was narrowly avoided. Some of the passengers fell off the boat due to the shaking. Some of the passengers who had stood up to get off the jetty fell. The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has announced a high-level inquiry into the incident.

The accident took place at the High Court Jetty at 6.15 pm today. The boat carrying passengers from the Fort Kochi Water Metro Jetty hit the pontoon. It is customary to slow down and safely approach the floating jetty. However, the boat crashed into the pontoon due to a mechanical failure.

A team of technical experts from Cochin Shipyard, CUSAT and KMRL is investigating. The Cochin Shipyard is the manufacturer of the Metro boats. The technical experts will conduct a safety inspection of the boat in question as well as other Metro boats. KMRL said that strict measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence of the incident and an internal investigation will be conducted into the complaints received from passengers.

Second accident in a week

One of the Water Metro boats was involved in another accident on April 31. While the boat was going from the High Court Jetty to Vypin, it was caught in a strong current and hit a parked ro-ro jankar while approaching the Vypin Jetty. The jankar's ramp was damaged. KMRL had announced an internal investigation.

The Water Metro boats had a collision on November 4, 2024. The explanation was that the boats had collided when they slowed down to allow the ro-ro jankar to pass between Fort Kochi and Vypin. Action was taken against the employees.