Cyclone Tauktae: FIR against captain of barge P-305 that sank off Mumbai coast

Mumbai: Police have registered an FIR against the captain of barge P-305 and some other persons after it sank in the Arabian Sea five days ago during cyclone Tauktae, in which at least 51 of its personnel were killed, an official said on Friday. The case was registered under section 304 (2) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt to any person through rash or negligent act) and 34 (common intention) at the Yellow Gate police station in Mumbai. Rakesh Ballav, the captain of the barge, and others have been named in the FIR, a Mumbai Police spokesperson said. The case was registered on the basis of the complaint lodged by Rahman Hussain Shaikh, the chief engineer of the barge who was among the survivors in the incident, he said. Of the 261 personnel who were on the barge that sank on Monday, 186 had been rescued till Thursday, officials had said. Bodies of 51 persons have been recovered and the Navy and the Coast Guard have been carrying out a search for the 24 personnel missing from the barge and 11 from anchor boat Varaprada, they had said. Three barges and an anchor handling boat deployed by private contractor Afcons for a project it was doing for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and a drillship of a state-owned firm had lost anchors and drifted away. Mumbai police have announced they will conduct a probe as to why the ill-fated barge remained in the turbulent area despite warnings about cyclone Tauktae, an official said. The police have also registered accidental death reports in connection with the death of the personnel on the barge.