The crew member of a ship, which ran aground near the Adyar Creek here died after Cyclone Nilam touched the coast on Wednesday. Rescue operations were on to trace five others, who tried to reach the shore on lifeboats, after the severe cyclonic storm caused their vessel to run aground just 3.7 nautical miles south of the Chennai Port.
The ship, Pratibha Cauvery, which returned to Chennai from Mumbai was anchored outside the port. On Wednesday, when winds of velocity 80kmph hit the vessel, it dragged its anchor and ran aground around 2.21 pm, port officials said, adding that it weighed 29,000 DWT (Dead Weight Tonnage).
As Cyclone Nilam was expected to make landfall in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday evening, 22 of the stranded 37 crew members headed to the shore. However, their lifeboats capsized in choppy waters. The Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Mercantile Marine Department rescued as many as 17 of them and were still searching for the missing crew members.
Sources at the Fortis Malar Hospital, where the rescued crew members were admitted, said one person died on hospitalisation.
Deputy Conservator of Chennai Port Trust, M K Sinha, said the crew lacked basic knowledge and were ignorant of the fact that it was best to stay onboard in the event of a storm. As many as 15 people who stayed back on the ship were safe.