DNA matching helps identify body of missing captain of barge P305

The body of Rakesh Ballav, missing captain of the ill-fated barge P305 which sank off the Mumbai coast when cyclone Tauktae struck last month, has been identified through DNA matching.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The body of Rakesh Ballav, missing captain of the ill-fated barge P305 which sank off the Mumbai coast when cyclone Tauktae struck last month, has been identified with the help of DNA matching and handed over to the family members.

It is known that a total of 188 crew members stranded on the P305 barge in the Arabian Sea during Hurricane Tauktae have been rescued during naval relief operations, while 86 people lost their lives in the catastrophe.

Read:Barge P305 deaths: ONGC must be held responsible, says Nawab Malik

The bodies were sent to JJ Hospital for identification by the Indian Navy following search and rescue operations. In the meantime, the bodies which were not identified were handed over to the relatives concerned after DNA testing.

Meanwhile, three senior ONGC officials have been suspended for negligence and a committee has been set up to probe them.

Read:Watch: Indian Navy round-the-clock rescue operation of Barge P305 underway

It has been clarified that the senior officers will remain suspended till the completion of this inquiry.

Preliminary inquiries have revealed that the three officers did not take any precautions to ensure the safety of the personnel deployed on the P305 barge in the Arabian Sea, despite having known about the approaching hurricane.