NEW DELHI Indian navy ships recovered 26 bodies of people who were aboard a barge that sank off Mumbai as the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than two decades blew ashore this week, officials said Wednesday.
Indian navy ships have worked through the night to recover the bodies of 37 people on board a barge that sank off Mumbai as a powerful storm lashed the region this week, an official said, as hopes faded for 38 people still missing since the cyclone struck on Monday.
Navy spokesman Mehul Karnik said on Thursday that five ships, a surveillance plane and three helicopters were involved in the search. He said most of 188 survivors and the 37 bodies arrived in Mumbai, The Associated Press reported.
The barge, with more than 260 people on board, sank after the storm caused by Cyclone Tauktae smashed into the Bombay High oilfield near Mumbai, where India’s biggest offshore oil rigs are located.
Hopes fading for 38 missing after barge sinks in India storm
ASHOK SHARMA, Associated Press
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1of5People rescued by the Indian navy from a barge that sank in the Arabian sea walk out from Indian naval ship INS Kochi in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The barge carrying personnel deployed for offshore drilling sank off Mumbai as a deadly cyclone blew ashore this week.Rajanish Kakade/APShow MoreShow Less
2of5People rescued by the Indian navy from a barge that sank in the Arabian sea walk out from Indian naval ship INS Kochi in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The barge carrying personnel deployed for offshore drilling sank off Mumbai as a deadly cyclone blew ashore this week.Rajanish Kakade/APShow MoreShow Less
Hopes are fading for 38 people still missing since the cyclone hit on Monday. Navy spokesman Mehul Karnik said five ships, a surveillance aircraft and three helicopters were involved in the search. He said most of 188 survivors and the 37 bodies had arrived in Mumbai. Indrajeet Singh, a survivor, recalled that everyone on the big barge rushed to the deck sensing danger. He said water gushed into the barge and it started tilting. I had no other option except jumping into the sea to save my life, he said. The survivors bobbed up and down in life jackets for up to eight hours before they were picked up by the rescuers, he said.
Indian Navy Recovers 22 Bodies From Barge That Sank in Storm By Ashok Sharma | May 20, 2021
The search is continuing for 55 more missing people, navy spokesman Mehul Karnik said.
He said the three ships and helicopters involved in the search had rescued 184 people in rough seas with waves of up to seven meters (25 feet).
Cyclone Tauktae, the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than two decades, packed sustained winds of up to 210 kilometers (130 miles) per hour when it came ashore in Gujarat state late Monday. The storm left more than 50 dead in Gujarat and Maharashtra states.
The weather has since improved and the search operation for the missing people has been intensified, navy Cdr. Alok Anand said.