Cyclone effects: Navy goes to rescue 297 stuck on oil rig, barge

Web Admin

5 Dariya News

Mumbai , 18 May 2021

The Indian Navy (IN) has despatched its warship INS Talwar to an oil rig and a barge with total 297 people stranded on board in the Bombay High Fields vicinity as the fallout of the Cyclone Tauktae continues, here on Tuesday.An official said the INS Talwar is going to the oil rig Sagar Bhushan with 101 people on board and the accommodation Barge SS-3 with 196 persons.Lashed and tossed around by high waves, both the vessels are drifting dangerously in the extreme sea conditions and are currently reported to be around 90 kms south-east of the Pipavav Port in Gujarat.Earlier, in another rescue mission, the INS Kolkata managed to save two survivors from the life-raft of a vessel Vara Prabha.Besides these, the Indian Navy has managed to rescue 146 of the 273 people stranded on the Barge P-305 near Bombay High Fields, and has launched a separate mission to save 137 people on a Barge 'Gal Constructor' which was drifting northwards and has now run aground around 89 kms from Colaba Point.The IN has launched an aerial search and rescue operation with its P81 aircraft and a 'Seaking' helicopter as a total of 707 people are desperately awaiting help in the different incidents and so far 148 have been rescued, including 2 from a life-raft.