Cyclone Tauktae: 26 missing, 49 bodies recovered after Barge P305 mishap, search operation on

Although it has been four days since the cyclone struck, the Indian Navy has continued its search operation. Other naval ships, reconnaissance aircraft and sea-king helicopters, including the warships INS Kochi and INS Kolkata, are hovering at sea. Navy in a statement said that a unit of Coast Guard has joined the search and rescue (SAR) operations being carried out in the Arabian Sea.

As many as 188 workmen have been rescued and 37 bodies have been recovered from barge P305 which sank in the Arabian Sea 35 nautical miles from Mumbai under the impact of cyclone Tauktae, informed the Indian Navy on Thursday.

The search for the remaining 26 is still on, the navy said. As many as 49 people have been killed and 26 others are missing in the aftermath of the cyclone, which has raised eyebrows. Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik on Thursday alleged that the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited did not heed the warnings on Cyclonic Tauktae and hence put the lives of 600 workers on the barge in danger. "Despite many alerts on Cyclone Tauktae, the ONGC neglected the alert, the lives of 600 workers were in danger. They were not shifted to a safer place. More than 40 people are still missing, hundreds of workers were fighting for their lives in a rough sea. Responsibility should be fixed," Malik said. Although ONGC has tried to defend itself by saying that the cyclone has changed direction, the claim has been rejected by the Meteorological Department, prompting questions from political leaders.

Barge P305 started drifting after its anchors gave way off the Heera Oil Fields in Bombay High as cyclonic storm Tauktae brushed past the western coast.