BICHOLIM
A major accident was narrowly avoided after a car plunged into the riverbed from the ferry wharf at Sarmaanas-Pilgao in Bicholim late Tuesday evening.
According to reports, a car had arrived by ferry at the Sarmaanas ferry wharf from Sao Estevam at around 7:15 pm.
The driver reversed the car off the ferry onto the jetty. While attempting to move the vehicle forward toward Sarmaanas, the driver accidentally failed to shift the vehicle from reverse gear into forward gear.
As soon as the accelerator was pressed, the car rapidly moved backward, jumped over the roadside barrier near the jetty, and fell directly into the riverbed.
Fortunately, the river was experiencing low tide at the time of the incident. Due to the low water level, there was not much water near the riverbank, and the car came to rest on a relatively dry patch near the shore.
The car did not suffer major damage in the incident and a couple inside the car escaped unhurt. There were no two-wheelers or pedestrians standing nearby at the time, which helped avert a potentially tragic accident.
Local youth and ferry boat employees immediately began rescue efforts. Since the riverbed area was muddy, stones and wooden planks from a nearby structure were placed to create support, enabling the vehicle to be pulled out directly from the ferry jetty area.
One of the ferry staff members personally drove the vehicle out after it was recovered. Firefighters who arrived at the scene also assisted local residents in the operation.
Many such incidents have occurred at the ferry jetty over the years, raising concerns about safety measures at the location.
