Barge P-305: Death Toll Reaches 61, While 18 Crew Members Still Missing May 23, 2021, 16:44 IST
On the seventh day of its search and rescue operation off the Mumbai coast, the Indian Navy today recovered the remains of 43 more crewmembers of the ill-fated Barge P-305 that went adrift following Cyclone Tauktae on Monday. Subsequently, the death toll has risen to 61 while 18 people are still missing.
INS Beas, INS Kochi, Kolkata, Betwa, Talwar, Teg, P8I maritime surveillance aircraft, Chetak, ALH and Seaking helicopters are involved in the Search and Rescue operations. Indian Navy has managed to save around 177 people that were stuck on a floating barge in the Arabia sea near Mumbai. It was almost 175 km from Mumbai.
The rescue operations by the navy were undertaken in extreme weather conditions and in very rough seas.
Mumbai (Maharashtra):
Battling extreme weather conditions, the Navy had rescued at least 186 survivors and recovered 26 bodies from barge P305 that sank in the Arabian Sea 35 nautical miles from Mumbai under the impact of Cyclone Tauktae on Wednesday.
As the search operation for the missing continued, the rescued crew members and workmen of barge P305 thanked the Navy for saving their lives and recalled the horrors they faced in the sea before they were saved.
A resued crew member Swapnil Sawant, saluted the Navy for saving his life and said, the situation was very critical. The waves were very high. I salute the Navy for saving our life by putting themselves in danger.
While the cyclone has ravaged 50-70% mangoes in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, 10-15 lakh tonnes of salt have been washed away
AHMEDABAD/SURAT: Heavy and gusty winds joined by intense spell of rains have wreaked havoc on mango and salt crops. While the cyclone has ravaged 50-70% mangoes in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, a massive 10-15 lakh tonnes of salt lying in mounds across different areas has been washed away.
Mango farmers from Gir-Somnath, Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar, where tons of mouth-watering Kesar mangoes used to grow, are staring at huge losses as mango trees were devastated due to the heavy rains accompanied by strong wind currents.