Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu | Edited by Arindam Mukherjee
New Delhi, December 5, 2017 | UPDATED 20:17 IST
A total of 556 fishermen were also rescued by relief and rescue teams from seas. But more than hundred are still missing.
Residents carry their belongings as they evacuate their house after flooding caused by Cyclone Ockhi in the coastal village in Kerala. (Photo: REUTERS/Sivaram V)Cyclone Ockhi continues to wreak havoc. The death toll has risen to 39 and the number of missing fishermen is at 167. But there are stories of tireless effort by Indian Navy and Coastguard.
On Sunday, there was a miraculous save of 8 fishermen of Vessel Jehova MSV Hoseenu which was adrift for two and half days. There was mounting tension that the men could be lost. But Navy's Boeing P8I (Poseidon Eight India) a long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft was pressed into service. All fishermen were rescued by INS Chennai on Sunday. The boat was swept away in position 28 nautical miles west of Kavaratti, the capital of Lakshwadeep.
The Indian Coast guard under Operation Sahayam also saved 15 boats from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, 72 nautical miles off bitra Islands with 184 crew members by its Dornier and Coast Guard ship. In the Union Territory alone, 33 tourists, both domestic and foreign, were safe in Lakshadweep, 250 fishermen could also reach safely in the islands from the high seas after being hit by the cyclone.
A total of 556 fishermen were also rescued by relief and rescue teams from seas. Despite relief and rescue on in war footing, not everyone is so so lucky. As many as 39 people were killed and 167 fishermen were still missing after cyclone Ockhi hit Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts while 809 others were swept away to Maharashtra. While the landfall in Gujarat's coastal area is expected to hit in couple of hours, the Joint Secretary in the ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal also briefed media that " The cyclone was unlikely to have an impact in Gujarat". The first of the two-phased assembly elections is due four days later.
As of Tuesday, 10 people lost their lives in Tamil Nadu and 29 others in Kerala. Even though the exact number of missing persons were not known, as per available information with Ministry of Home Affairs. The worrying part is 74 fishermen in Tamil Nadu and 93 fishermen in Kerala continue to be missing" despite all efforts to rescue them.
As per data available to the Central Government, 809 fishermen with their boats from Tamil Nadu and Kerala were swept away and reached Maharashtra coast wherethey were provided food and shelter.
The state governments are verifying with the affected villages to find the exact number of missing fishermen
Meanwhile NDMA issued an advisory that fishermen along and off Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coasts should not venture into the sea from December 6 to 8 while fishermen along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands are advised not to venture into sea till tomorrow. Fishermen living along and off South Gujarat and North Maharashtra coasts have been advised not to venture into the sea till Wedneday morning.
As per Met reports available with MHA, severe cyclonic storm Ockhi will move over east-central Arabian sea and move further north-northeastwards with a speed of 21 kmph and lay centred over east-central Arabian sea at latitude 17.5 degrees North and Longitude 70.4 degrees East, about 480 km southwest of Surat and 300 km west-southwest of Mumbai.