Gujarat: 4 bodies with life jackets on found in Valsad, link with ONGC barge suspected

Valsad police on Saturday recovered three bodies on Tithal beach and one body off the sea coast in Dungri taluka. All the bodies had life jackets on. The police have also found two abandoned boats at Umargam in Valsad district.

Police suspect that the deceased might be aboard the ONGC barge that crashed into a rig off Mumbai during Cyclone Tauktae and sank, leading to the death of at least 66 people on board, while 20 others are still missing.

Talking to The Indian Express, Valsad district superintendent of police Rajdeepsinh Jhala said, “The four bodies found are yet to be identified. We checked it with the local fishermen but they couldn’t identify them. We suspect that the deceased might be on board the ONGC barge which sank during the cyclone.”

“To ascertain that we have contacted the yellow gate police station in Mumbai where details of the missing crew members are filed. We have also intimidated the Gujarat state police control room and they are also coordinating with their counterpart in Maharashtra regarding the same. We have intensified foot patrolling in the coastal area in Valsad. From Sunday onwards, we will also conduct an aerial survey of our coastal areas,” he added.