At least 13 people were killed and 99 rescued after an Indian Navy speedboat crashed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the navy said.

“The Indian Navy craft lost control while undertaking engine trials in Mumbai harbour due to engine malfunction. As a result, the boat collided with a passenger ferry which subsequently capsized,” the spokesperson posted on X at 8.25pm.

“Thirteen fatalities have been reported so far. Survivors rescued from the incident site are being shifted to nearby hospitals,” the spokesperson added.

The deceased include a naval officer and two people from the original equipment manufacturer on board the naval craft, the navy said.

Four naval helicopters, 11 naval boats, a Coast Guard boat and three marine police boats were involved in the rescue efforts.

The ferry named Neelkamal was on its way to the Elephanta Islands, around 10km east of Mumbai, when the accident took place.

“The naval boat was moving in circles in the Arabian Sea while our ferry was on the way to Elephanta Islands. I had boarded the ferry around 3.30pm,” 45-year-old Ganesh, a resident of Hyderabad and one of the survivors, said.

“I had a fleeting feeling that the naval boat could hit our ferry and it happened within the next few seconds,” Ganesh, who was standing on the deck of the ferry, added.

The eyewitness was among the first of the 99 people rescued after the collision. There were more than 100 passengers, including children, on board the ferry, he said.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the collision between passenger ferry and Indian Navy craft in Mumbai Harbour. Injured personnel, including naval personnel & civilians from both vessels, are receiving urgent medical care,” defence minister Rajnath Singh posted on X.