The Indian Navy has rescued 60 individuals on board a barge that went adrift in the Arabia Sea near Mumbai.
The Indian Navy has rescued 60 individuals on board a barge that went adrift within the (*60*) Sea near Mumbai hours earlier than a really extreme cyclonic storm with winds gusting as much as 185 km per hour made landfall on the Gujarat coast, an official stated on Tuesday.
The Navy had deployed three of its frontline warships after receiving messages to rescue 410 individuals on board two barges off the Mumbai coast on Monday.
The ships deployed to increase help to the 2 barges had been INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Talwar. “A total of 60 persons from Barge P305 were rescued till 11 pm on Monday, 42 by INS Kochi and 18 by offshore support vessel Energy Star in extremely challenging sea conditions,” a Navy spokesperson stated.
The Search and Rescue (SAR) operations continued by means of the night time for the remaining crew, he stated. “In a separate effort INS Kolkata rescued two
survivors from the life raft of vessel Vara Prabha, and joined INS Kochi for the SAR of Barge P305 crew,” he stated.
Gal Constructor, one other barge with 137 individuals onboard has been adrift off the Colaba Point, eight nautical miles from Mumbai coast as a consequence of engine hassle, he stated.
“This vessel was approached by the Emergency Towing Vessel ‘Water Lily’ which arrived in its vicinity for rendering assistance. The barge continues to drift N’ly because of extreme sea condition,” he stated.
These ongoing rescue efforts will probably be augmented by naval plane and helicopters, climate allowing, at first mild on Tuesday and the SAR efforts will proceed by means of the day, the spokesperson stated. “On receipt of a request for assistance for barge ‘P305’ adrift off Heera oil fields in Bombay high area with 273 personnel onboard, INS Kochi was swiftly sailed with a despatch for search and rescue assistance,” the Navy officer stated.
The oil fields are round 70 km southwest of Mumbai. The Navy spokesperson stated the rescue operations on Barge 305 had been undertaken amid excessive climate situations.
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