Cyclone Tauktae: 60 Bodies Recovered From Barge P305, 188 Rescued

At least 188, including two from the anchor boat Varaprada have been rescued so far from the barge P305, which sank after Cyclone Tauktae hit the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai on May 17, the Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) said on Friday.

As many as 60 bodies have been recovered from the barge. The search and rescue operations for the remaining crew is still underway, the Defence PRO said.

It also stated that underwater search by Indian Navy Survey ship has been planned for locating wrecks of Barge P305 and Tug Varaprada using specialised teams and equipment.

INS Teg, INS Betwa, INS Beas P8I aircraft and Seaking Helos are continuing with the Search and Rescue Operations.

“The 196 personnel on SS-3 and 101 personnel on Sagar Bhushan are safe. Offshore Supply Vessels hired by ONGC and SCI towing then to safety. INS Talwar also in area,” the Defence PRO had said.

Several of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)’s major production installations and drilling rigs are located in the area that felt the brunt of the cyclone.

Cyclone Tauktae has impacted the weather conditions in several parts of Northern India.

(ANI)