93 Barge Personnel Still Missing As Coast Guard, Navy Rescue Ops Continue

Three barges deployed by engineering firm Afcons for its contract with ONGC had 599 workers on board when the cyclone hit yesterday.

At least 93 of the over 500 personnel manning the oil rig and barges in the high sea off the Mumbai coast were still missing a day after Cyclone Tauktae swept past the Maharashtra coast. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have been involved in rescue operations round the clock, with over 180 people carried to safety through the day today, officials said. Three barges deployed by engineering firm Afcons for its contract with ONGC had 599 workers on board when the cyclone hit, official sources told PTI. Indian Naval Ships Beas, Betwa, and Teg joined INS Kochi and Kolkata in search and rescue (SAR) operations for Barge 'Papaa-305', which sank 35 nautical miles off Mumbai yesterday. The operations have been augmented with P8I and naval helicopters. Over 180 survivors of the 260-odd crew on the barge have been rescued so far. Attempts are being made to trace the remaining, they said.