Mumbai: In one of many greatest search and rescue operations in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 314 individuals stranded and struggling for survival on two barges that have been engulfed by Cyclone Tauktae, officers stated right here on Tuesday.
All the 137 individuals marooned on the Barge GAL Constructor have been efficiently rescued by the IN and ICG groups after daring helicopter and ship operations braving excessive climate situations, battling tall waves, heavy rains, and powerful winds of over 100 km/hr, close to the Colaba Point.
Similarly, one other 177 individuals out of 273 onboard Barge Papaa-305 have been picked up with the assistance of INS Kochi, INS Kolkata, OSV Ahilya, OSV Ocean Energy, and Sea King helicopters, even because the vessel sank in the ocean this morning.
Efforts are on to rescue the opposite individuals nonetheless trapped in the waters because the depth of Cyclone Tauktae appeared to be on the wane after it made landfall round midnight.
The Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) stated early at present that certainly one of its oil exploration drilling rigs and three building barges of Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. (AIL) have been concerned in the unlucky incidents throughout the Cyclone Tauktae onslaught.
The vessels are ONGC Drill Ship `Sagar Bhushan` and AIL`s Barge Gal Constructor which ran aground close to Colaba Point, Barge Papaa-305 which has sunk and Barge Support Station-3, which is drifting northwest in the ocean with two ONGC offshore vessels despatched to offer help.
According to IN and ICG, these incidents concerned a complete of 707 individuals of which 314 have been rescued and additional operations are persevering with because the previous 24 hours.
Though the ONGC couldn’t present the whole variety of personnel, workers in the Bombay High Fields, round 175 kms in the excessive seas, the corporate stated that each one its offshore installations and oil platforms have been secure.
