Indian navy officials said Wednesday that 186 of the 273 people aboard barge P305, which sank two days earlier, were rescued. Authorities added that 22 bodies have been brought to the Mumbai dockyard and are now awaiting identification, India Today reported.
“Search and rescue operations are still on, and we haven’t lost hopes of bringing them ashore,” an official said of the 65 remaining people, according to India Today. However, he said the chances of finding them are becoming more slim with time.
According to navy officials, three barges, including barge P305, along with an oil rig went adrift on Monday during the extremely stormy weather. Personnel from the two other barges and the oil rig were all rescued Tuesday, according to India Today.
Two of the barges were working for Oil and Natural Gas Corp., the largest crude oil and natural gas company in India. Officials deployed search and rescue operations on Monday that involved 11 diving teams, 12 flood rescue teams, medical personnel, several navy ships and aircraft surveillance.
“Repair and rescue teams have been formed to undertake urgent infrastructural repairs post-cyclone if required,’” a navy official said Tuesday. “Various ships along the Western seaboard are standby, with aid and relief material for immediate assistance to affected areas as required and to provide assistance to fishing boats/small boats stranded due to rough weather.”
On Wednesday, authorities said search and rescue operations will continue for barge P305, using navy ships, aircraft and helicopters.
Cyclone Tauktae made landfall late on Monday with winds of up to 130 mile per hour. It was one of the most powerful storms to hit the region in over 20 years. More than 16,000 homes were damaged in the Indian state of Gujarat, and more than 50 people died in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
About 150,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in both states ahead of the cyclone. On Tuesday, residents exited storm shelters to find property destroyed, trees uprooted and electricity lines damaged.
Authorities said Wednesday that the cyclone has weakened, but the India Meteorological Department predicts heavy rainfall for many parts of Gujarat and Maharashtra this week.
