Cyclone Tauktae, which landed in India on Monday, has caused severe damage along the coastline of Mumbai. More than 90 people have been reported missing after a barge off the metropolis’ coast sank amid the severe cyclone.
The Indian navy has till now rescued 177 of the 270 people aboard and efforts to find the missing survivors were ongoing.
Three other commercial barges carrying about 700 people are stranded at sea in the wake of cyclone Tauktae, which has battered India’s western coast.
Tauktae weakened after it made landfall on Monday but at least 12 people have already died in the storm.
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The stricken barge, owned by India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), was carrying personnel deployed for offshore drilling. When the storm struck, the barge’s anchors gave way and it began drifting.
A spokesman for the Indian navy said had dispatched three warships to save those aboard the three stranded commercial barges. Two of the barges are off the coast of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state, while the third is off the coast of Gujarat.
ONGC said it had also deployed boats to rescue its personnel.
One of the troubled barges, reportedly carrying cargo, had anchored and was about 14km from Mumbai’s coast when it went adrift on Monday. The navy said the barge had since run aground in a rocky patch of the sea. Everyone on board is reported to be safe.
The third barge, about 92km from the Gujarat coast, is attached to an oil rig. There are reportedly 196 people aboard and another 100 reportedly stuck on the rig.
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Initially classified as “extremely severe”, the cyclone made landfall in Gujarat state late on Monday with wind speeds of up to 160km/h (100mph).
It narrowly missed Mumbai, but the barges adrift off the city’s coast were unable to return to the harbour on time.
Strong winds have destroyed coastal areas in the western state of Gujarat, uprooting trees and electricity poles. In Saurashtra district, electricity supply has been cut as a precautionary measure.
About 200,000 people were evacuated across several states as the cyclone approached, causing heavy rains and gusty winds.
