Ockhi death toll climbs to 36

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 7 

Three bodies were recovered this morning off the Kerala coast, taking the death toll due to Cyclone Ockhi to 36 even as rescue operations are going on in full swing to trace the 96 missing fishermen.

Sources in the State control room monitoring the rescue operations, said with the recovery of three more bodies, the death toll in Kerala due to the cyclone has gone up to 36 and 96 fishermen are yet to be traced.

While a body was recovered near Alappuzha by the Marine enforcement wing, two bodies were found by Coast Guard ship Vaibhav off Alappuzha-Kochi coast this morning, defence sources said.

An Air Force aircraft AN 32, flying between Kozhikode-Kochi coasts had sighted a fishing boat with about 15 fishermen this morning following which Navy has sent a Dornier aircraft and ship to the area which is close to Lakshadweep islands, the sources said. Meanwhile, shipping services from Kozhikode to Lakshadweep began today with around 60 passengers boarding the high speed vessel from Beypore this morning.

M V Minicoy, the passenger vessel, berthed at Beypore had suffered some damage in the cyclone following which MMD officials had not granted travel clearance.

Yesterday, the high speed vessel arrived at Beypore from the islands to ferry the passengers, the sources said.

Around 1,600 passengers were transported from Kochi to Lakshadweep when the shipping services resumed on December 5. — PTI 

Fishermen stage rail roko

• Hundreds of fisherfolk on Thursday staged a rail roko at the Kuzhithurai railway station on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border demanding steps to trace more than 1,000 fishermen reportedly missing after they put to sea from Kanyakumari
• About 5,000 people squatted on the rail track protesting alleged failure of the Tamil Nadu government on taking steps to trace those missing following cyclone Ockhi
• Protesters also blocked the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari national highway. People from nine coastal panchayats of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu were staging the protest