March 10, 2026 12:14 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
CEC Gyanesh Kumar faces black flags during Kalighat Temple visit in Kolkata amid TMC’s SIR protests | ‘Arrogance will be shattered’: PM Modi warns Mamata Banerjee over remarks on President Murmu | Bloodbath on Dalal Street! Sensex, Nifty crash amid escalating Middle East conflict | Iran appoints Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader amid Middle East tension | Iranian drone strike near Dubai Intl. Airport's terminal forces emergency flight suspensions | 26-year-old Hindu man killed after Holi altercation with Muslim neighbour in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar; four arrested | Zohran Mamdani defends wife amid scrutiny over her 'support' for Palestinian cause | Explosions rock club in Kolkata’s Paikpara, locals claim bombs were stored inside | Iran conflict: White House says US could achieve ‘Operation Epic Fury’ objectives in 4–6 weeks | Sensex, Nifty tumble as global tensions and Dow selloff rattle Indian markets
Cyclone Tauktae | ONGC
Image Credit: twitter.com/indiannavy

70 bodies of crew members working at ONGC project site recovered from Arabian Sea

| @indiablooms | May 24, 2021, at 06:11 am

New Delhi/IBNS: As many as 70 bodies of crew members, who were onboard Papaa-305 construction barge and tug vessel Varaprada working at an ONGC project site, have been recovered from the Arabian Sea, according to a tweet by the Indian Navy.

The crew members were working at a project site of Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd. (ONGC).

The ONGC is continuing a search and rescue operation with Navy and Coast Guard.

Tauktae hit the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai in the early hours of May 17. Wind speed rose to nearly 150-180 km/hour, with 6-8-metre high waves where ONGC’s major production installations and drilling rigs are located.

Three construction barges of M/s Afcons working on a project of ONGC in Western Offshore fields in the Arabian Sea and one floater drilling rig of ONGC were severely impacted in the cyclone and Barge P-305 sank during the cyclone.

Forty two bodies have been identified so far and handed over to their families, 25 bodies are yet to be identified, a Mint report said.

According to petroleum and natural gas ministry, five vessels with 714 personnel were caught in the cyclonic storm as Tauktae pounded the Arabian Sea. A total of 628 people were rescued.

 These vessels were Sagar Bhushan drill ship, construction barges—Support, Station-3, Gal Constructor and P-305—with Varaprada handling the anchor of Gal Constructor, it added.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) is extending logistical help to families of affected crew members of Barge P-305, the state-run driller said Sunday.

"The company will provide all necessary logistical help and support for the dependent family members to travel to Mumbai and back besides making arrangements for families to take back the mortal remains of the deceased persons to their hometowns," it added.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.