A drilling barge off Mumbai was torn off its anchor and drifted into the Arabian Sea on Monday as a severe storm continued to batter India's western coast, media said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) A drilling barge off Mumbai was torn off its anchor and drifted into the Arabian Sea on Monday as a severe storm continued to batter India's western coast, media said.
The barge with 261 people was promptly located and "steadied," a spokesperson for the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation told the PTI news agency.
Cyclonic storm Tauktae has been designated as "extremely severe" by the Indian Meteorological Department. It is expected to make landfall at between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (14:30-17:30 GMT).
The storm has been moving northwards at a speed of 15 kilometers (9 miles) per hour. Winds are forecast to pick up during the night to a maximum sustained speed of 155-165 km per hour, with gusts of 185 km per hour.
At least two people have died in the state of Maharashtra. The state authorities said one person died in a rain-related incident and a sailor drowned when his boat capsized. Seven other sailors are missing.
Strong winds have felled trees in Maharashtra's main city of Mumbai, disrupting train services and shutting the Mumbai international airport. Coastal areas have been flooded.
