Barge tragedy: FIR against its captain, others

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 49 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 here.

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 49 persons have been recovered and the Navy and the Coast Guard have been carrying out a search for the 26 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.