Cyclone Tauktae: 37 bodies recovered after barge sank, 38 missing
At least 37 people have died after a barge sank in the Arabian Sea due to Cyclone Tauktae, officials of the Indian Navy said. Reportedly, 188 of the 261 personnel who were onboard the Barge P305 have been rescued. Search operations are currently underway for nearly 50 more who were on the barge and another tugboat - Varaprada. Here are more updates.
Search to continue for at least 3 more days: Navy
The Indian Navy carried out the operation throughout the night using searchlights to look for survivors. The search was continued this morning. The operations would go on for at least three more days, Indian Navy Commodore Ajay Jha reportedly said. Navy ships INS Kochi, INS Kolkata, INS Beas, INS Betwa, and INS Teg, among others, are involved in the search operations.
High-level investigation ordered into the incident
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has announced a high-level probe into the incident. On Wednesday, Rahman Shaikh, the Chief Engineer on the sunken barge, said that everyone on board could have been saved if the Captain had taken the cyclone warnings seriously, The Indian Express reported. He also revealed that many of the life rafts were punctured.
'Captain ignored the cyclone warnings'
"We received the cyclone warning a week before it hit...I told the Captain, Balwinder Singh, that we must also leave for the harbor. But he told me that winds were not expected to be over 40 kmph (sic)," Shaikh, 48, told The Indian Express.
Goa, Gujarat announce Rs. 4L compensation to kin of deceased
The state governments of Goa and Gujarat have announced a financial assistance of Rs. 4 lakh each to the families of those died due to the cyclone. "We are extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to Tauktae Cyclone in Goa," Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani said those injured in cyclone-related incidents will get Rs. 50,000 each.
Delhi to see light rain, heavy downpour in Haryana
Separately, Delhi will see cloudy skies and light rainfall on Thursday, the weather department said. Heavy downpour in the national capital yesterday had led to waterlogging in several parts of the city. Now, many districts in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Sonipat, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Palwal, Jhajjar, and Rewari are likely to receive moderate to heavy rain today.
Another cyclone is developing, could hit Odisha or Bengal
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said a low-pressure system could develop within the next 48 hours and it has the potential to intensify into a cyclone. The system will develop near the North Andaman Sea around May 22 and could reach Odisha or West Bengal by the evening of May 26. The forthcoming cyclonic storm has been named Yaas.
