661 fishermen still missing after ‘Ockhi’ onslaught, Nirmala Sitharaman tells Lok Sabha

Praying for safety Family members of fishermen, missing after Cyclone Ockhi struck, attend a mass organised by the Latin Catholic Archdiocese at St. Thomas Church in Poonthura near Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. S. Gopakumar (REPORTS ON PAGE 6)

The defence forces and other agencies involved in rescue operation after Cyclone Ockhi battered southern India saved 845 lives, but 661 fishermen were still missing, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written response to a question, Ms. Sitharaman said the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard saved the lives of 821 people until December 20. Another 24 lives were saved by other agencies, including merchant navy vessels.

Of the total 845 people rescued, 453 were from Tamil Nadu, 362 from Kerala, and 30 from the Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands.

The majority of those untraceable are from Tamil Nadu (400) and Kerala (261), the worst-hit States.