34 killed after barge sinks off Mumbai coast; 16 bodies recovered

Mumbai: At least 16 out of 34 bodies have been recovered from the Arabian Sea after a barge sank off the Mumbai coast on Monday evening, officials said. More than 100 others were rescued from the barge earlier.  

The Navy on Wednesday said its personnel, battling extreme weather, rescued 184 of the 273 people. It said personnel on board two other barges and an oil rig are safe after they were hit by Cyclone Tauktae. 

All the 137 personnel on barge GAL Constructor were rescued on Tuesday by the Navy and Coast Guard. The 196 personnel on barge SS-3 and 101 personnel on board oil rig Sagar Bhushan are safe, the official said.

Offshore vessels hired by ONGC and SCI are towing them to safety. INS Talwar is also in the area to assist in the rescue operations, he added.

Three barges and an oil rig with 707 personnel on board went adrift on Monday. These included barge P305 with 273 persons, cargo barge GAL Constructor with 137 personnel on board, accommodation barge SS-3 with 196 personnel on board and the Sagar Bhushan oil rig with 101 personnel on board, the official said.