89 still missing from sunken barge, Navy continues search

Altogether 89 personnel on board accommodation barge P305 that went adrift in Cyclone Tauktae fury before sinking in the Arabia Sea off the Mumbai coast are still missing, sources said on Wednesday.

The Indian Navy said its personnel, battling extreme weather, have so far rescued 184 of the 273 people who were onboard barge P305. "Search and rescue operations are still on and we haven't lost hopes of bringing them ashore," an official said.

All personnel on board two other barges and an oil rig rendered adrift hours before the "very severe cyclonic storm" made landfall on the Gujarat coast are also safe, a Navy spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Navy warship INS Kochi reached Mumbai on Wednesday carrying 125 of the 184 rescuees from P305.

"As of Wednesday morning, 184 personnel of barge P305 have been rescued. INS Teg, INS Betwa, INS Beas, P8I aircraft and Seaking helicopters are continuing with the search and rescue operations," a Navy spokesperson said.

All the 137 personnel on barge GAL Constructor were rescued on Tuesday by the Navy and Coast Guard. The 196 personnel on barge SS-3 and 101 personnel on board oil rig Sagar Bhushan are safe, the official said.

Offshore vessels hired by ONGC and SCI towing are them to safety. INS Talwar is also in the area to assist in the SAR ops, he added.

The accommodation barge P305, which was servicing ONGC offshore operations, sank on Monday evening, the official said.

Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Murlidhar Sadashiv Pawar said the ongoing search and rescue operation is among the most challenging search and rescue operations in the last four decades.

Navy ships were deployed on Monday after receipt of a request for assistance for P305 adrift off Heera oil fields in Bombay High area with 273 personnel on board. The oil fields are around 70km southwest of Mumbai.