The tragedy surrounding the grounded ship “Pratibha Cauvery” continued to unfold on Friday, with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) search and rescue personnel, assisted by the police, sighting and recovering the bodies of five of its missing crew.
While three bodies were recovered and identified on Friday, ICG sources said body of a fourth sailor of the ill-fated oil tanker was located later on Friday evening. “Police have reached the spot, along the sea coast at Minjur, north of Chennai,” ICG sources told Deccan Herald.
The victims were identified as Khamitkar Raj Ramesh of Mumbai, Niranjan Kothandapani from Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. The third body was identified as that of Jadav Rushabh, from Belgaum, Karnataka, sources said. The search for the fifth victim continued, ICG sources added.
As many as 17 others of the 22 crew members who suddenly deserted the grounded ship in a life boat were rescued by ICG and Navy divers besides local fisher-folk after the boat had capsized in the fierce choppy waters as cyclone “Nilam” was crossing over the Tamil Nadu coast.
Subsequently, 15 other crew members and officers of the ship were rescued in a special mission by the ICG on Thursday.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks