Navy rushes diving teams to search 26 missing crew members of barge, tugboat
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New Delhi: The Indian Navy on Saturday dispatched two specialized diving teams from
Mumbai to augment the search for 26 missing crew of a barge and tugboat Varaprada that sank
during Cyclone Tauktae on Monday. The teams on board INS Makar, which is also equipped
with side-scan sonar, and INS Tarasa sailed out early morning on Saturday from Mumbai,
said commander Mehul Karnik, chief public relations officer of the Western Naval Command.
The barge was deployed at an unmanned platform in Heera oil fields, one of the largest ONGC
rigs in the Arabian sea. As Cyclone Tauktae hit the Mumbai coast, the barge got de-anchored
on Sunday night. The barge sank around 7 pm on Monday in a very choppy sea and rough
weather, which made the search and rescue operation one of the most challenging operations
undertaken by the Navy in four decades. Afcons Infrastructure, which leads the consortium that
chartered the barge and hired its crew, said there were 261 members on board. The barge sank
about 40 nautical miles west off Mumbai.
