‘We all swam as a group for 5 hours before help came’

Two helpers who were working on barge P305 which capsized off Mumbairsquos coast during Cyclone Tauktae on Monday night recounted the events leading up to their dramatic rescue by the Indian Navy The duo spoke of how they were exhausted from swimming for four to five hours but stuck together in the rough seas before they saw the Indian Naval Ship INS Kochi The Indian Navy which has been conducting a rescue operation deployed helicopters on Thursday to search for 26 workers while 186 have been rescued and 49 bodies have been recoveredA helicopter pressed into service by Indian Navy brings rescued barge workers to INS Shikra on Wednesday PicSuresh KarkeraAbhishek Awhad 19 and Vishal Kedar 21 two friends from Sinnar Nashik were working as helpers on the barge They were rescued by the Navy The duo said that the captain of the ship let the barge remain near the platform where it was working despite the cyclone warningAwhad who joined the barge a month and a half ago said that he used to help with repairs When the barge received information about the cyclone the captain said that the barge is in the right place and that there would be no problems However government officials said that at night the anchors of the barge gave away and it started drifting and went on to hit one unmanned platform before capsizingAlso Read Lack of time miscalculation in estimating intensity pushed ONGC vessels into cyclone whirlwind SourcesWhen the barge started filling with water the captain told everyone to wear lifejackets and that help has been sought from the NavyldquoOn the instructions of the captain we jumped into the water and kept swimming for four to five hours A group of 1520 people was formed while jumping into the water We were supporting each otherrdquo Awhad saidVishal Kedar and Abhishek Awhad PicSuresh KarkeraldquoEarly on Tuesday we saw INS Kochi 200 to 300 meters away It was still dark We were trying to get to the ship but due to the stirring sea and the strong wind we were finding it difficult to move forward We somehow reached the ship and a rope was thrown for us I fell thrice while trying to climb onto the shiprdquo Awhad saidldquoHad the captain brought the barge to the shore the accident would not have occurredrdquo Awhad saidldquoWhen we jumped into the water wearing our lifejackets it felt like we are seeing death in the strong winds and the high waves rising in the sea The Indian Navy rescued us gave us fresh clothesEverything that we had on the barge went down with it The Navy helped us contact our families We all were crying on the phonerdquo Kedar said ldquoWhile we did not lose hope had the Navy not come when it did it would have been difficult for us to surviverdquo Kedar saidAs many as 6961 persons stayed safe at 342 oil and gas installations dotting the western coast when the severe cyclone Tauktae rammed through but equipment malfunction at five vessels put 714 people at risk leaving at least 49 dead and 37 other missingArjun MTKin of others wait for newsAnother seafarer Arjun MTrsquos cousin Anish K Ramchandran said ldquoArjunrsquos wife was in touch with him till Sunday But after the capsizing we have not been able to contact him We tried to contact the company Certification Engineer International Limited CEIL but they said they are waiting for information from the ONGC When we contacted the ONGC helpline they said they are waiting for an official list Arjunrsquos name is not on any list so far He married three years agordquoAnother seafarer Anthony Edwin from Kerala is yet to be found His brother Dani said that they got a call from him last on Monday morning ldquoSo far Anthonyrsquos company has received no information from the Navy they saidrdquo Dani told middayWoman seeks Navyrsquos helpYatin Vikram Singh who was working on the Varprada ship of Glory Ship Management Private Limited as a Chief Officer has not been located yet His wife Rajni Singh has not been able to find any information about him ldquoI spoke to him three days ago His mobile has been switched off since then I called the company but no one is telling me anything I request the Indian Navy to find out where my husband is and give me some informationrdquo Rajni said An Indian Navy spokesperson said that two workers from Varprada have been rescued so farAnthony EdwinRescue operationThe Navy spokesperson said that six ships are engaged in the rescue operation each ship having 300 to 400 personnel In addition two Chetak helicopters two Advanced Light Helicopters ALH and three Surveillance Aircraft P81s are also engaged in the operation Also 70 to 100 people are involved in the operation Navy spokesperson Mehul Karnik said ldquoWe were out on the spot as soon as the SOS was received and our rescue operation has been going on since Monday We are engaged in the rescue day and night These search operations are being carried out 100 km from the site of the incidentrdquo20Approx no of people in group that stuck togetherInputs from Agencies