The Navy, Air Force are Coast Guards rescue stranded people in cyclone hit areas
The cyclone has claimed 13 lives and left thousands stranded in rescue centres. Water logging and power cuts have brought the cyclone-hit areas to a standstill apart from causing damages to property and blocking highways affecting transport and communication services.
Rescue operations are being carried out by the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. In Kerala, 155 fishermen have been rescued while around 150 have returned home on their own.
The storm has been named Ockhi by Bangladesh which means "eye" in Bengali.
Here are the LIVE updates on cyclone Ockhi:
150 fishermen from Tamil Nadu & Kerala are now safe in Lakshadweep. Speaking to NDTV, Lakshadweep administrator Faruk Khan said, "Many boats have been cited here. Some fishermen have moved to the land but most of them have chosen to stay on board. We will alert authorities in both states soon after we do enumeration".
IMD weather bulletin says Cyclone Ockhi is likely to intensify further and move towards the north Tamil Nadu and the south Andhra Pradesh coast during the next 3-4 days.
Mumbai will witness light showers on December 4 as Cyclone Ockhi changes course towards the Gujarat coast, private weather monitoring agency Skymet said in a tweet.
#Mumbai can brace for some light showers by the evening of December 4. Though the intensity of these rains will be light with isolated pockets witnessing some moderate showers: https://t.co/nNQNysL7Fl#Mumbairains@RidlrMUM@abpmajhatv@mataonline@TV9Marathi#CycloneOckhi#Ockhi
- SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) December 2, 2017
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced compensation worth Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased due to the cyclone. The chief minister also said that about 400 people have been rescued from the sea so far.
Cyclone Ockhi is expected to travel north towards Mumbai and Gujarat in the next 48 hours but is likely to lose its intensity, news agency Reuters quoted IMD Director S. Sudevan in Thiruvananthapuram.
New agency ANI quoted Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar saying 6 boats & 73 fishermen have been rescued by INS ships. Search operations are still underway to bring back 33 missing boats and 95 missing fishermen.
The mammoth search and rescue operation has been named Operation Synergy - since it is being being done in close coordination by Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force. Warships have been deployed to aid the rescue operation.
Distressed fishermen's families have blocked the National Highway in Thiruvananthapuram, upset that their relatives are still missing and haven't returned from the sea, reports NDTV's Sneha Koshy.
Anger, tears and frustration spilling out on streets as missing fishermen's families block National Highway in Thiruvananthapuram. Their's is a nightmare I sincerely pray will never come true. Cyclone OCKHI impact in Kerala. @ndtvpic.twitter.com/SoqZ2kYBlC
- Sneha Koshy (@SnehaMKoshy) December 2, 2017
Indian Coast Guard tweeted saying search and rescue operation in Cyclone Ockhi hit areas are continuing with 9 ships and 2 Dornier Aircraft off Kerala and Tamil Nadu Coast. 52 fishermen have been rescued so far. International Safety Net (ISN) has been activated to advise Merchant Traffic to render assistance.
Principal Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence tweeted that Coast Guard Ship C-427 has rescued two fishing boats off the coastal town of Vizhinjam which went missing from Kanyakumari when Cyclone Ockhi hit the coastal areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami last night and has assured adequate help to aid the coastal state to stride over the calamity.
The Thiruvananthapuram district administration is preparing an updated list of fishermen who have not yet contacted their families.
Cyclone Ockhi: As Cyclone Ockhi Wanes, Kanyakumari Remains In Knee-Deep Water, Powerless After Rains In Kerala, Tamil NaduCyclone Ockhi has now moved beyond Lakshwadeep, the weather department said bringing huge relief to the people of the rain-battered states. There may be light rainfall later in the day in some regions. However, Kanyakumari still remains largely powerless with more than a thousand people stranded in rescue centres.
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