1 Name: Cl0ud : 2021-05-19 07:18 ID:0t9CFeIg (Image: 780x438 jpg, 49 kb) [Del]
The Indian military is continuing search and rescue operations for a third day after a deadly cyclone left scores missing and stranded at sea.
Cyclone Tauktae, the strongest storm on record to hit India's west coast, has killed at least 40 people since it made landfall in western Gujarat state on Monday night.
The cyclone formed in the Arabian Sea, and tore past the financial hub of Mumbai, in Maharashtra state, before reaching Gujarat. Its strong winds and heavy rain caused flooding and destruction in low-lying coastal regions, even before it made landfall.Stranded workers are airlifted by the Indian Navy from a barge in the Arabian Sea, which had gone adrift during Cyclone Tauktae, on May 18.
Branches of the military, including the air force and navy, are now scouring the sea to rescue personnel on all operational oil rigs and vessels that were in the path of the cyclone.
One barge, operated by the Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), held a crew of 261 people when it sank in an offshore oilfield on Monday due to the force of the cyclone. The navy has rescued 186 crew members, and was searching for the remaining 75 on Wednesday morning, said navy spokesperson Vivek Madhwal.
"We have five ships in the area and two are coming back with the rescued personnel and remaining three are staying for search and rescue," he said.Late Tuesday, the navy said search and rescue operations would include helicopters and other naval assets, despite the "extremely challenging circumstances."
Another barge, the Gal Constructor, ran aground off the west coast of Mumbai on Monday. The navy deployed a helicopter and several emergency vessels to evacuate the 137 crew members on board, all of whom are accounted for.
Two other barges are being towed to safety by ONGC tugboats, Madhwal said. ONGC is India's biggest oil and gas company, with many of the barges used to service its offshore operations.
Read more on CNN.
