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Case of culpable homicide has been registered against the owner of the 'Varaprada'

A case of culpable homicide has been registered in Mumbai against the owner of the 'Varaprada' that sank in the Arabian Sea during lthe cyclone Tauktae, in which 11 persons were killed, on June 24. The barge 'P 305' and the 'Varaprada' - both support vessels working for the state-run ONGC's offshore oilfields near Mumbai – had borne the brunt of cyclone Tauktae, which made landfall on Gujarat coast on May 17. An FIR under IPC section 304 (2) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 34 (common intention) was registered against the owner on June 24 at the Yellow Gate police station on the complaint of chief engineer of the boat and one of survivors. Nobody has been arrested in this connection so far and the probe is underway. A total of 274 crew were reported missing on May 17, 261 from Barge 'P 305' and 13 from the 'Varaprada'. While 186 survivors from the 'P 305' and two from 'Varaprada' were picked up at sea, 70 bodies were recovered at sea by ships of Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Besides, eight bodies were recovered along the coast in Raigad district of Maharashtra and another eight bodies washed ashore the Gujarat coast near Valsad.

Divers found no bodies, engineer claimed that tug was not seaworthy

The special diving squad of the Indian Navy conducted a search operation on the capsized 'Varaprada' in order to trace missing crew members, but no bodies were found. Eight bodies recovered from Gujrat's Valsad coast belonged to the crew of the barge 'P 305' which sank in the Arabian Sea near Mumbai. The local police have secured the dead bodies into custody and informed the Mumbai Police and Valsad. The Chief Engineer of the 'Varaprada' has revealed that the condition of the tug wasn't suitable for the sea. His written statement said that the vessel had anchored outside the JNPT and remained at a distance of one kilometre from the barge to support the vessel. They could have reached the port if the captain had sought the Port Authorities permission which he didn't. Instead of underestimating the cyclone, the captain could have informed the authorities about the tug's unseaworthiness. He alleged that the engine room wasn't equipped to prevent any water ingress which is an essential safety feature for issuing licenses to tugs like these.

Video of sinking tug emerged

A week after Cyclone Tauktae sank the 'Varaprada', a video of the tug being tossed about in the Arabian Sea has surfaced on the internet. There were 13 crew members on board when it sank off the coast of Maharashtra on May 17. Unfortunately, only two people survived since they jumped into the waters and were rescued by the Navy. The video was shot by an unidentified person before the 'Varaprada' sank. It showed the deck was littered with wooden planks and strands of rope. Eventually, one large wave caused the ship to tilt alarmingly to starboard side. Another wave came and rocked it violently by the impact. A third wave hit the boat and showed it sinking, slowly but continuously. The front of the ship - where the railings were broken - were flooded for a split second before the tug rocked back for a momentary reprieve. The man in the video, Suraj Chauhan, did not survive the sinking. The Indian Navy confirmed that no mortal remains of the crew were found inside the tug. Report with video: https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/environment/video-shows-tugboat-attacked-by-waves-caused-due-to-cyclone-tauktae-541200.html