Barge P305 located at the seabed during search operation, Indian Navy details efforts

In the aftermath of the thunderous Cyclone Tauktae, Barge P305 which sank during the cyclone was located on the seabed after a search by INS Makar on Saturday, the Indian Navy informed. This came a day after the Navy informed that the Search and Rescue operations for the crew of Barge P305 and Tug Varapradha will be augmented by specialized diving teams onboard INS Makar (with Sonar) and INS Tarasa. The Navy also deployed specialized diving teams to boost the search and rescue operations (SAR).

A Navy spokesperson said, "There was no trace yet of nine personnel from barge P305 and 11 from tugboat Varaprada while the death count on P305 rose to 66 with the recovery of six more bodies during the day."

"Barge P305  located on the seabed after a systematic search by INS Makar employing advanced side-scan sonar while the search for the missing personnel will continue through the night. So far, 66 mortal remains have been recovered. The SAR ops are continuing through the night," the spokesperson said.

"To augment the ongoing SAR ops for the missing crew of Barge P305 and Tug Varaprada, specialized diving teams onboard INS Makar with side-scan sonar and INS Tarasa sailed out early morning today from Mumbai," the Navy spokesperson had tweeted earlier in the day.

188 Rescued, 66 Dead

Out of the 261 personnel who were on barge P305, 188 have been rescued so far, 66 are dead and nine are missing. Of the 13 persons on Varaprada, two have been rescued. While all the 440 persons on barges Gal Constructor and Support Station 3 (SS-3) and drillship Sagar Bhushan were brought ashore to safety, Naval and Coast Guard vessels and aircraft scoured the waters off the Mumbai coast as the search and rescue operations entered the sixth day on Saturday. Struggling to establish the identity of almost half the victims of the P305 barge tragedy, police initiated the process of conducting the DNA testing of the bodies, an official said on Saturday.

(With PTI Inputs)