Ockhi: search team recovers two bodies

Revenue officials say arrangements to keep more bodies would be made at more government hospitals, if required.

A Naval ship on Saturday recovered two more bodies of fishers swept away by Cyclone Ockhi off the Beypore coast. The decomposed bodies were brought to the harbour around 5 p.m.

The coastal police said the bodies were yet to be identified. They were moved to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination, with the support of the District Disaster Management Authority and fishermen.

Search teams have so far recovered 21 bodies off the Kozhikode coast. Post-mortem examinations of all the previously recovered bodies were completed and DNA samples would be sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram.

Revenue officials said arrangements to keep more bodies would be made at more government hospitals, if required. Taluk hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts would be considered for the purpose, they said.

Fisheries officials said the search for recovering floating bodies would continue with the support of rescue teams off the Kozhikode coast. Search has been progressing in various other locations of the coastline based on information given by the fishers, they said.

Fishermen satisfied with steps

Fishermen’s organisation leaders expressed satisfaction over the initiatives of the District Disaster Management Authority and the Fisheries Department. The presence of many senior government officers in the harbour area has come as a relief for fishers in and around Beypore, they said.