The death toll in the barge P305 tragedy increased to 37 with 11 more bodies recovered and brought to shore, officials said on Thursday. On Wednesday, at least 26 persons on board the drifting barge were found dead in the stormy Arabian Sea in the aftermath of the Cyclone Tauktae. Around 40 more persons are still missing for whom Indian Navy is continuing the search operation.
The Navy on Thursday morning launched a fresh aerial search and rescue mission, deploying helicopters to scour the waters off Mumbai coast. "The Navy's Search and Rescue (SAR) operations entered the fourth day today. Naval ships and aircraft are presently undertaking SAR of the missing crew members of accommodation barge P305, which sank on Monday 35 miles off Mumbai," a Navy spokesperson said. Navy ships INS Kochi, INS Kolkata, INS Beas, INS Betwa, INS Teg, P8I maritime surveillance aircraft, Chetak, ALH and Seaking helicopters are involved in the SAR operations, he said.
Rajnath Singh 'deeply saddened':
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said he was deeply saddened with the loss of lives in Cyclone Tauktae. He also expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.
Taking to Twitter, Singh wrote, "I am aware of the scale of devastation caused by #CycloneTauktae and adverse conditions in which Search & Rescue Ops have been conducted by @indiannavy & @IndiaCoastGuard. Many precious lives have been saved by the daring action taken by the Navy in rescuing crew of barge P305." "My heartfelt gratitude to the men in uniform who did not deter from putting their lives in danger saving the lives of our citizens under extreme conditions," he added.
MVA seeks minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation:
Maharashtra's ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies on Thursday demanded that Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must be held accountable and should quit over the loss of precious human lives.
Hitting out at the Centre, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said, "The ONGC is under the Petroleum Ministry headed by Dharmendra Pradhan. Why don't the BJP leaders seek his resignation? Who will be held accountable for the huge loss of lives in this tragedy, give compensation and other relief... Merely pointing fingers won't do?"
Terming it as a 'man-made tragedy', Congress State Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, "The warnings of the imminent Cyclone Tauktae had been given in advance. Action must be taken against all those responsible for endangering lives of the workers. Dharmendra Pradhan should resign taking moral responsibility."
Seeking action and charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against all responsible for the barge disaster, Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik said that "Pradhan must be held answerable" for the incident. "Everyone was aware of the cyclone and warnings were issued for all to take necessary precautions. While fisherfolk were moved to safety and prevented from going to the sea, why did the ONGC not heed these warnings and follow safety protocols?" Malik asked.
He said that all the workers should have been evacuated from the barges or oil rigs and brought ashore before the monster cyclone hit as is the norm worldwide, which was not done. "Due to the ONGC's failure, more than 600 lives were endangered and 37 have already been killed besides many more missing. Strict action must be taken against those in-charge at ONGC and they should be booked under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder," Malik demanded.
(With IANS and PTI inputs)
