Cyclone Ockhi Death Toll Rises To Eight, Over 200 Fishermen Missing In Sea As The Winds Show No Signs Of Slowing Down

The deep depression in the Bay of Bengal which intensified into cyclonic storm Ockhi shows no signs of slowing down and is gaining momentum for the second consecutive on Friday, leaving a trail of? destruction across two southern states, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

PTI

The death toll from the cyclonic storm has risen to eight, with four each deaths reported from the two affected states.

Despite the IMD saying that the cyclone has moved away from Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram, heavy rains are expected in south Kerala for the next 24 hours and south Tamil Nadu for the next 12 hours.

As the rain continues, there is a growing concern over the safety of hundreds of fishermen and their boats, feared stranded in the seas due to bad weather. Relatives of the missing fishermen complained that they were caught off-guard and there were no warnings about the cyclone from the government or the met department.

Four ships of Indian Navy and 2 ships of Indian Coast Guard have been deployed in the seas to look for those stranded, Defence PRO Dhanya Sanal K said.

According to the Navy Spokesperson, 8 fishermen floating in water picked up off? the Trivandrum coast while 24 others stranded at sea have been spotted by Navy ships.

Another big concern for the authorities in Kerala is the safety of the thousands of Hindu pilgrims enroute to the Sabarimala shrine.

Keeping their safety in mind the government has asked the pilgrims not to travel during the night and avoid taking shelter under trees.

Some unverified images making rounds in social media claims that many vehicles carrying Sabarimala pilgrims being inundated in the heavy rains.

Another area of concern is the Lakshadweep island archipelago where the cyclone is currently wreaking havoc.

According to local media reports some 160 people have been shifted to safer places after parts of many islands were submerged, in as high as 6 meters of water.