THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The death toll in Cyclone Ockhi rose to 52 in the state on Tuesday with the recovery of eight more bodies even as search operations to trace the missing fishermen continued for the 13th day. Six bodies were recovered from Kozhikode, and one each from Ernakulam and Malappuram districts. The total number of fishermen rescued till Tuesday stood at 2,824.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority, the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard were continuing with their search operations off the Kerala coast. As per government figures, 146 people from various coastal regions were still missing. Of these, 95 are from Thiruvananthapuram district alone. However, the Latin Archdiocese reiterated on Tuesday more than 200 people were still missing from the district. Apart from that, 11 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, one each from Assam and Uttar Pradesh are also missing.
TN CM hikes relief amount from G10 lakh to G20 lakh Kanyakumari:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami on Tuesday announced H20 lakh compensation for the kin of fishermen who died in the cyclone. Palaniswami, who visited the cyclone-hit areas in the district, also said search operations would continue for the missing fishermen. “The government has accepted the demand for a compensation of H20 lakh for those who had lost their kin in the cyclone,” he said