ONGC's barge P305 tragedy: Maharashtra Congress demands resignation of Minister of Petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan

ONGC's barge P305 tragedy: Maharashtra Congress demands resignation of Minister of Petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan

Sanjay JogUpdated: Thursday, May 20, 2021, 01:14 PM IST
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Mumbai: A rescued crew member of barge P305 gets emotional while talking to media after he was brought at Mumbai Naval Dockyard, in Mumbai, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. | Shashank Parade

Maharashtra Congress has demanded the resignation of Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan and action against those who are responsible for the sinking of ONGC's barge P-305 which lead to the deaths of 37 crew members.

INC's Sachin Sawant took to Twitter and wrote, "News of sinking of #ONGC barge P-305 resulting in the death of 37 workers is devastating. More than 38 ppl are still missing. This is clearly man-made tragedy as warning of imminent #TauktaeCyclone had bn given in advance. @dpradhanbjp must resign taking moral responsibility (sic)."

"Action must be taken against all those responsible for endangering the lives of workers. Modi govt's reckless approach in handling corona already caused deaths of lakhs of people. & it is continuing to exhibit the same. When will Modi govt learn lessons from their grave mistakes," he added.

The comment by Congress came after NCP's Nawab Malik demanded suspension of responsible people in the case.

With 11 more bodies recovered and brought to shore, the death toll in the barge tragedy near Bombay High Fields increased to 37, officials said here on Thursday.

On Wednesday, at least 26 persons on board the drifting Barge Papaa-305 were found dead in the stormy Arabian Sea in the aftermath of Cyclone Tauktae.

Another 40-plus persons are still missing for whom searches continue, as the Centre ordered a probe into the tragedy.

The 37 bodies have been brought to Mumbai by Indian Navy ships which had gone on dare-devil rescue missions since the past 72 hours.

The Union Ministry for Petroleum & Natural Gas late on Wednesday ordered setting up of a high-level committee to probe the sequence of events leading to the stranding of ONGC vessels in the Cyclone Tauktae, etc in and around the Bombay High Fields, around 175 kms off Mumbai.

A total of 261 persons were on board Pappa-305, an accommodation barge that sank late on Monday.

The Afcons Infrastructure Ltd (AIL), which had contracted the sunken barge, expressed regrets over the fatalities in the high seas and said its immediate focus is to locate and rescue the remaining missing personnel on priority.

"The safety and wellbeing of our people are our topmost priority, and we're doing everything possible to address this unprecedented crisis. We know nothing can ever compensate for the loss of a loved one, but we will extend our fullest support including financial assistance to the bereaved families in this hour of their need," the AIL added.

(With inputs from IANS)

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