Indian Navy Says Rescued Over 170 People From Vessel Sunk By Tauktae Storm

The Indian Navy said it rescued more than 170 people from a sunk barge off the coast of Mumbai in the wake of the severe cyclonic storm Tauktae

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th May, 2021) The Indian Navy said it rescued more than 170 people from a sunk barge off the coast of Mumbai in the wake of the severe cyclonic storm Tauktae.

The P305 barge sank about 175 kilometers (108 miles) from Mumbai, with 273 people on board. Earlier in the day, over 140 of them were reported rescued.

"SAR Ops Barge P305.177 personnel rescued so far. First batch of 03 Rescuees brought in by IndianNavy Helo. INSKochi & #INSKolkata along with MV Offshore Energy & MV Ahalya continue with SAR in extremely challenging circumstances," the spokesperson tweeted.

Apart from P305, the naval forces are assisting another two barges and a drilling vessel.

The ship INS Talwar continues helping the drilling vessel Sagar Bhushan and barge SS-3. According to Navy spokesperson Vivek Madhwal, the ships are currently adrift 90 kilometers (55.9 miles) to the south of the Gujarati port of Pipavav. Meanwhile, the barge Gal Constructor went aground 90 kilometers north of Mumbai.

The cyclonic storm Tauktae has been designated as "extremely severe" by the Indian Meteorological Department. The storm has been moving northeastwards at a speed of 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) per hour. At least 12 people are reportedly dead and about 120 missing due to the natural disaster.