Concerning information has come forward where at least 273 people have been stranded on the drifting barge off the Geeta fields near the Bombay High region in the Arabian sea. It is almost 175 km from Mumbai.

After receiving an SOS from the barge P305, the Indian navy went straight to their aid. The crew and passengers are on board. Two ships INS Kochi and INS Talwar have gone to assist. The ships will mostly reach by afternoon. Due to Cyclone Tauktae intensifying, the search operation is taking a lot more time.

“#IndianNavy helo pressed into action to support rescue ops of Indian flagged Tug Coromondel Supporter XI adrift North West of New Mangalore, #Karnataka, #IndianNavy Helo dispatched early morning 17th May 21 after attempts failed to rescue them by boat,” read a tweet by Indian Navy spokesperson.

#CycloneTauktae #IndianNavy helo pressed into action to support rescue ops of Indian flagged Tug Coromondel Supporter XI adrift North West of New Mangalore, #Karnataka, #IndianNavy Helo dispatched early morning 17th May 21 after attempts failed to rescue them by boat (1/2). pic.twitter.com/BtFkvSrn8r
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 17, 2021

“04 crew members winched by helo & rescued safely. Rough seas #TauktaeCyclone, had resulted in flooding of the vessel’s machinery compartments rendering it without propulsion & power supply & the leftover crew without any support & rescue options by sea,” added the post.

Also Read: Cyclone Tauktae Wreaks Havoc On Kerala Coast, Triple Lockdown In 4 Districts

Earlier another news report read that “As the "very severe cyclonic storm" Tauktae headed towards Gujarat, high-speed winds and heavy rains crushed Mumbai and its surrounding areas on Monday, uprooting trees and disrupting local train services, officials said. The Bandra-Worli sea-link was closed due to strong winds, and people were advised to take alternate routes.”

For the next few hours, the IMD has upgraded the warning to Extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai. Winds will continue to gust up to 120 kilometres per hour. Several parts of Mumbai and the surrounding areas are currently experiencing heavy rain and strong winds. According to BMC spokesperson Tanaji Kamble, the IMD has upgraded the warning to extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai for the next few hours.