THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two weeks after Cyclone Ockhi hit, the death toll rose to 68 with the recovery of two more bodies in Kozhikode on Thursday. The total number of fishermen rescued has gone up from 2,824 to 2,844.The State Disaster Management Authority said local boats are involved in rescue operations along with the Air Force, Indian Navy and Coast Guard.Latin Archdiocese Vicar General Eugene H Pereira told Express local fishermen had been sailing up to 178 nautical miles to trace the missing. “The families can’t wait till the completion of rescue operations being conducted by the government,” said Pereira.
He also said the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram had expressed its grief to Congress president-designate Rahul Gandhi and handed over a list which it wanted to be considered by the Centre. Pereira said a disparity still prevailed in the statistics available with the government and the Church. “We’ve collected details by going to each and every household in the coastal areas.
The government is still unclear about the statistics. It’s pathetic,” said Pereira.As per the government, as many as 146 people from various coastal regions in the state were missing. However, the Latin Archdiocese says over 200 people are still missing from Thiruvananthapuram alone.
‘We need better warning systems for fishermen’
T’Puram: Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in the state on Thursday for a whirlwind tour, connected with the fishermen community during his visit to the cyclone-hit areas. He said the fisher folk needed a better system to alert them about natural disasters.
Alarming rise
The death toll was 38 on December 10, ten days after the cyclone, but there has been an alarming rise in the number of bodies washed ashore in the last four days, making one fear the number might cross the 100-mark. The following is the day-wise break-up.