UPDATES DEATH TOLL, NUMBER OF MISSING; REVISED HEADLINE, DECK
By Ahmad Adil
NEW DELHI, India (AA) – A total of 26 bodies have been retrieved from the Arabian Sea since a barge was hit by Cyclone Tauktae on Monday and sank 35 nautical miles from Mumbai, Indian officials said Wednesday.
A rescue operation is ongoing to find the missing people from Accomodation barge P-305 as well as the tug Varapradha, with 188 rescued so far, according to the Indian Navy.
Navy spokesman Commander Mehul Karnaik told Anadolu Agency that 49 people are missing from the P-305.
Tauktae made landfall late Monday in the western state of Gujarat, with wind gusts of up to 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday did an aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas of Gujarat and Diu.
