Mumbai: Thirty-seven people, including a Keralite, died in the Barge P-205 accident which took place on Monday.
The deceased, Jomish Joseph, 34, hailed from Kalpetta in Wayanad.
Search is on for 38 others who are still missing. 186 people were rescued by the INS Kochi after Barge P-305 sank off Mumbai. Among them, 22 were Keralites.
Keralite safety officer recounts escape
A Keralite safety officer, Tiju Sebastian, was one among those rescued.
"Strong winds were blowing at a speed of 100kmph. The flailing barge went adrift. When one side of the barge started tilting into the sea, we all moved to the opposite part. We held on tightly for hours and finally the INS Kochi came for our rescue. If that ship had not come then, I would not be here to narrate this tale," recounted Tiju Sebastian, a native of Thrippunithura in Ernakulam.
Tiju, wearing a life jacket, jumped off the sinking barge and was left adrift for 14 hours before he was rescued. After being rescued by the INS Kochi, all were taken to the Naval headquarters in Mumbai.
"When the ship on rescue mission arrived by 3pm, those on the barge jumped off wearing life jackets. The personnel spread a special net on all sides of the INS Kochi for us to climb on board. But the waves were then as high as 8mt. Several people were able to get on board the ship only after drifting in the sea for 2 to 14 hours,” he narrated.
Barge P305 went adrift in Cyclone Tauktae fury before sinking in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai coast on Monday. The Navy personnel, battling extreme weather conditions, carried out the rescue operations.
Three words of solace
Pala: 'Escaped, no problem, fine’ - This is all that Joel said when he called his home at Vallichira in Kottayam. But these words proved to be of much solace to an entire village that was worried about his safety.
The news on the rescue of Joel Jaison, 28, and others reached his native place only on Wednesday morning. Joel soon called.
"He had lost his phone. He called from the Navy Commanding officer's phone. He said he would be in quarantine at a hotel for seven days and hung up soon after," his father Jaison said.
Joel's maternal uncle Fr Joemon Thattamattom, who is in Mumbai, visited Joel. Joel works at Mathews Associate, owned by Muthuchira native Mathews. The relatives came to know of the accident only on May 18.
A Keralite doctor, Amal Babu of Kottayam, was also among those rescued from the ill-fated barge. However, search continues for eight Keralites.
Keralites among those rescued: Tiju Sebastian (Ernakulam), Arun Selvan (Palakkad), V Aravind (Pathanamthitta), Adil Shah (Wayanad), M M Jithin (Thrissur), Sreehari (Malappuram), Joel (Pala), Balachandran (Kozhikode), Agnel Varkey (Kozhikode), K V Girish (Thrissur), Jinson (Thrissur), K C Prince (Palakkad), Pranav (Palakkad), V K Harris (Wadakkanchery), T K Deepak (Kozhikode), Dr Amal Babu (Kottayam), T Mathew (Kannur), Joseph George (Kottayam), Nebil, Varghese Sam, Anil Vazhachal, and Francis.
