218 fishermen rescued, death toll rises to 7 as cyclone Ockhi creates havoc in Kerala
As many as 218 fishermen from Kerala, stranded in the sea off the coast due to inclement weather conditions triggered by cyclone Ockhi, were brought safely to the shore on Friday even as the death toll rose to seven in the state, reports PTI.
Cyclone Ockhi, which in Bengali means ‘eye’, on Friday intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and moved to the Arabian Sea. It lay centered about 80km northnortheast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep.
Under its influence, heavy rains continued to lash coastal areas of the state, crippling normal life.
On Thursday, four persons had lost their lives in rainrelated incidents while three persons died on Friday, official sources said.
Around 165 families have been shifted from the coastal areas of Kerala by the local administration.
Around 130 families from Chellanam, 17 from Kumbalangi and 18 from Edavanakad town of Ernakulam district have been shifted, said the district administration.
Orders have been issued to evacuate people from low lying areas of various islands including Kalpeni, Minicoy, Kavratti, Agatti, Androth, Kadamath and Amini in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, they said.
Quoting the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office here said there is a possibility of “huge waves” occurring 10 km off the state’s coast till Saturday evening.
Rain and strong winds are likely to continue in different places in the next 24 hours.
According to the CMO, 218 fishermen, stranded in midsea off the state coast since yesterday, were brought safely to the shore through active coordination of various agencies including Navy, Airforce and Coast Guard.