Cyclone Tauktae Live Highlights| Death toll in Gujarat goes up to 53

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Intermittent rains and cool winds were witnessed in most parts of Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours due to the moisture caused by cyclone Tauktae, an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

The weather turned pleasant in most parts of the central state, which is in the middle of summer, the official said.

'Almost the entire state received rainfall in the last 24 hours ending Thursday morning,' senior meteorologist P K Saha of IMD Bhopal said.

Mangawan in Rewa district received the highest 80 mm showers in the eastern part of the state, while Ater in Bhind district received 65 mm rainfall in the west in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am, the official said. (PTI)

The NCP on Thursday claimed that the Centre announced financial assistance only for Gujarat despite six states, including Maharashtra and Goa, suffering losses due to Cyclone Tauktae.
The Shiv Sena, which shares power in Maharashtra with the NCP and Congress, expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also announce a financial assistance for Maharashtra and Goa soon.
On Wednesday, Modi conducted an aerial survey of areas hit by the cyclone in Gujarat and approved an assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for "immediate relief activities" in the state. He also announced on ex-gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of those killed due to cyclone in all affected states.
Maharashtra minister and state NCP chief Jayant Patil in a tweet said, "Last year, Nisarga cyclone devastated Konkan but the financial assistance by Centre was meagre. Now, 6 other states have had losses due to Tauktae (Konkan in MH and Goa being badly hit) - yet no assistance to anyone but GJ!"
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said there was no need to be upset over the financial aid of Rs 1,000 crore to Gujarat. The state is a part of India and has suffered losses due to the cyclone, he said.
"PM Modi is a large-hearted man. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis toured the affected areas of Maharashtra and will surely apprise the Centre of the extent of damage and losses," Raut told reporters here.
The Rajya Sabha said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will also visit the affected regions on Friday. "A detail memorandum on what help is required will be compiled. I am sure the Centre will provide Rs 1,500 crore to Maharashtra and Rs 500 crore to Goa," he said.
However, Devendra Fadnavis said a press note issued by the Union government after the PM's visit to Gujarat clearly stated that the cyclone-affected states will get assistance from the Centre. (PTI)

Intermittent rains and cool winds were witnessed in most parts of Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours due to the moisture caused by cyclone Tauktae, an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.
The weather turned pleasant in most parts of the central state, which is in the middle of summer, the official said. "Almost the entire state received rainfall in the last 24 hours ending Thursday morning," senior meteorologist PK Saha of IMD Bhopal said.
Mangawan in Rewa district received the highest 80 mm showers in the eastern part of the state, while Ater in Bhind district received 65 mm rainfall in the west in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am. Cyclone Tauktae has brought in moisture, causing rains and wind gusts, he said, adding that the temperatures have dropped, giving way to a pleasant weather with cool winds.
The lowest maximum temperature in the state was recorded at 29.4 (-13.9) degrees Celsius at Sheopurkalan in Sheopur district, while the lowest minimum temperature 19.7 (-4.7) degree Celsius was recorded in Mandla district, he said.
According to the IMD forecast, thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour (KMPH) are very likely to occur at isolated places in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. (PTI)

After a four-day-long restoration work, the power supply, which was disrupted due to cyclone Tauktae in Goa, has resumed in most parts of the state, a senior official said on Thursday.
Due to the impact of the cyclonic winds, power supply at various places in the state had gotten snapped from Saturday night. As per the government record, scores of houses suffered major damages and thousands of trees were uprooted.
"Power supply to almost all consumers has been restored today (Thursday). Our teams have been working round-the-clock to carry out the Herculean task of restoration," the official from the state electricity department said.
The supply was disrupted, as trees fell on electricity cables, electricity poles were destroyed, high-tension towers were damaged and electricity conductors snapped, he said.
Over 700 to 800 low-tension poles had broken, while more than 100 high-tension 11KV poles were damaged in the cyclone, he said.
Apart from this, more than 30 distribution transformer centres (DTCs) were destroyed, while problems had developed in 200 DTCs, he said.
The department was also erecting five 33kv towers, which had fallen due to the cyclonic winds, he said.
To make matters worse, several electric conductors had snapped off and kilometres of electricity cables were damaged, the official added. (PTI)

As many as 53 people have lost their lives in incidents related to cyclone Tauktae in different parts of Gujarat, officials said on Thursday.
Most of the casualties were due to incidents of wall collapse due to the cyclone, which made a landfall on Monday night near Una town in Gir-Somnath and wreaked havoc for around 28 hours before it weakened into a depression, an official from the State Emergency Operations Centre said.
"As per the latest available information, as many as 53 people have lost their lives in various cyclone-related incidents across Gujarat," state relief commissioner Harshad Kumar Patel said.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of cyclone-affected districts of Gujarat and announced a package of Rs 1,000 crore to carry out "immediate relief activities".
Later, the Gujarat government approved a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the kin of those who have died due to various incidents related to cyclone Tauktae.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for those who were injured due to the cyclonic storm.
This compensation is in addition to the central government's compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured persons, said a government release. (PTI)

When asked whether the personnel on the barge had any idea about the impending cyclone, rescued worker Vishwajeet Bandgar claimed that they had enough information about it and except P305, all other barges had already started moving towards the shore before the cyclone. "But the company did not inform about it," he said.
Bandgar said before they got know about his rescue, his family members kept crying till he called them to inform that he was safe, he said, adding his kin were coming to Mumbai to see him. (PTI)(4/4)

Another workman, who was injured in the incident, thanked the Navy for saving his life. "It is because of the Navy that we all are alive and safe today, otherwise we don't what would have happened to us," the workman said while fighting back his tears.
One of the officials on the barge had claimed the cyclone was "not huge", another workman said. "The official is now missing. We tried to search for him, but in vain," he said.
Another rescued workman said as their barge started sinking, he jumped into the waters in the middle of the night and tried to stay afloat. "I swam for about 12 hours before the Navy team rescued me," he said.
Another personnel, who works as a fitter at the rig, said the sea waves were higher than the height of the barge and there were high speed winds blowing around. "Before the Navy ship arrived, we were not sure what was going to happen. As we saw the naval ship coming towards us for rescue, our confidence went up. I was sure they will save me, hence I jumped into the waters and started swimming," he said. (PTI)(3/4)

Talking to reporters here, workman Manoj Gite said, "It was a horrific situation on the barge. I had not thought I would survive. But, I swam in the waters for seven to eight hours with the determination to stay alive and was rescued by the Navy."
Gite (19), a resident of Kolhapur, said as the barge started sinking, all workmen got worried and he along with others wore a life jacket and jumped into the waters. The workman, who had joined as a helper on the barge only last month, said said he lost all his documents and mobile phone in the cyclonic storm.
Asked if he would return to the rig again, Gite said he is not keen to go back and is contented to be alive after the nightmarish experience. (PTI)(2/4)

Battling tidal waves as high as 15 metres and strong winds while trying to stay afloat in the cyclone-hit rough Arabian Sea for almost 12 hours, workmen rescued from a sinking barge near here narrated their horrifying experience in their quest for survival.
One of the survivors said the incident was similar to the scenes from the movie 'Titanic' that depicted the sinking of the RMS Titanic ship in 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean, while some others said that they had almost lost the hope of making it alive back home.
At least 22 personnel on board accommodation barge P305 that went adrift in Cyclone Tauktae fury before sinking in the Arabia Sea off Mumbai coast are dead and 65 still missing, a Navy official said on Wednesday. The Navy said its personnel have so far rescued 186 of the 273 people who were onboard barge P305.
"People might have watched in 'Titanic' movie the occupants jumping out of the sinking ship to save themselves and dead bodies floating, but we saw all this unfold before our eyes," Vishwajeet Bandgar (28), who worked on the barge as a welder, said after his rescue by the Navy.
"It was worse than the Titanic, as dead bodies of our colleagues, who worked with us, could be seen floating in the water," he said. They had jumped into the water before us and we saw their life boat was also broken, said Bandgar, a native of Mangalwedha town in Maharashtra's Solapur district.
Thanking the Navy for rescuing him and several of his colleagues, Bandgar said the Navy is like God to them. "We were not sure if we could be rescued until help came. During that horrific situation, we kept supporting each other by saying that we will be alive and there is no need to worry," he said.
"I was in the water holding on with the life jacket for more than 14 hours. There were gusty winds and waves of more than 15 metres...," he said. (PTI)(1/4)

Mumbai Police will conduct a probe as to why the ill-fated barge P-305 which sank off Mumbai coast on Monday evening stayed in the area despite warnings about cyclone Tauktae, an official said.
Yellow Gate Police in south Mumbai on Wednesday registered an accidental death report (ADR) in connection with 22 persons on the barge whose bodies have been recovered.
The barge `Papaa-305' or P-305 had 261 persons on board. Of these, 186 persons were rescued while 53 are still missing. Twenty-two were confirmed as dead.
This barge as well as two other barges that were hit by the cyclone were deployed by Afcons for a contract it had got from state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
The bodies of the workmen were brought to Mumbai by INS Kochi in the morning and 18 more were brought by INS Kolkata, the police official said.
Police are trying to ascertain why this accommodation barge --- it had living quarters for employees working offshore -- did not move away despite repeated warnings about the cyclone, he said, adding that statements of those rescued are being recorded.
"We will also seek the opinion of Director General, Shipping and other related agencies," he said. (PTI)

Director of Meteorological Department Radheshyam Sharma said the cyclone after entering the state on Tuesday night has weakened but is still prevalent as a depression over south east Rajasthan.
"Jaipur, Ajmer and Bharatpur will witness the impact of cyclone today and may witness heavy rainfall in the next 12 to 24 hours while districts of north eastern Rajasthan will witness mild to medium rainfall in the next 24 hours, he said.
The cyclonic impact will reduce in the state on Thursday and most districts will remain dry except the Bharatpur division where light to moderate rainfall is likely to occur during the day, the MeT office said.
The cyclone arrived in the state on Tuesday night and its impact was seen in various far-flung districts of the state on Wednesday as well. Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Bharatpur divisions recorded moderate to heavy rainfall on Wednesday, the meteorological department said. (PTI)

One person died and three others were injured due to heavy rainfall and gusty winds after cyclone Tauktae hit Rajasthan, officials said on Wednesday.
The cyclone arrived in the state on Tuesday night and its impact was seen in various far-flung districts of the state on Wednesday as well. Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Bharatpur divisions recorded moderate to heavy rainfall on Wednesday, the meteorological department said.
Due to the continuous rainfall, the water level in the water bodies in Udaipur has risen, it said.
The water level in Pichola Lake has gone up to 8.5 feet, whereas the water level in Lake Fateh Sagar has reached 7.5 feet till Wednesday afternoon, while floodgates of Swaroop Sagar lake were opened after the water level rose, the MeT department said.
Trees, electricity poles were uprooted while tin sheds were blown away in Mount Abu, Dungarpur, Ajmer and other parts of the state. Streets turned into rivers in Dungarpur, Udaipur, Ajmer and in some places in other districts. A road caved in in Jaipur due to the rainfall, it said.
Rain and cloud cover brought down the mercury in most districts of the state. (PTI)