Cyclone Ockhi: Death toll touches 54
State control room says 95 still missing; more than 150, says Church.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The coast guard and marine enforcement department on Tuesday recovered the bodies of ten fishermen from sea in different parts of the state taking the death toll in Ockhi cyclone to 54. A total of 8 dead bodies were recovered by Indian Coast guard, Marine enforcement wing and Coastal Security Police on Tuesday from the sea off Beypore, a body each was also recovered from Malappuram and Kochi. The Indian Coast Guard Boat C- 144 recovered 2 dead bodies around 6 Nautical miles off Beypore harbor at 2. 45 PM, while the CSP Beypore recovered one body around 8 Nautical Miles away from Beypore harbour and MEW Beypore recovered 5 bodies in 10 Nautical miles west off beypore harbour at 1. 15 pm.
All the bodies were sent for post mortem at Kozhikode Government Medical College hospital for further formalities, said A. R. Chauhan, Commanding Officer Indian Coast Guard. The highly decomposed body which appeared more than a week old, could not be identified.
"A search team comprising personnel of the fisheries department, coastal police and also our wing is still searching for more people who left for the sea from Kozhikode or other places," the coast guard official said. Meanwhile, state control room here said 95 fishermen from Thiruvananthapuram were still missing. However, the archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram said the number of missing fishermen was more than 150. Eleven bodies kept at the Trivandrum medical college mortuary, are yet to be identified.