Six more persons died in Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Friday as torrential rains and gusty winds triggered by cyclone Ockhi battered the southern coast, taking the toll to 14.
A red alert has been issued to Lakshadweep as the cyclone continued to move towards the archipelago and is expected to make landfall on the island in the early hours of Saturday.
Army personnel bring a fisherman rescued from sea. (HT PHOTO)
At least 200 fishermen marooned in deep sea were rescued by a joint operation carried out by Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. A Japanese cargo ship rescued 60 persons and later handed over them to the Coast Guard.
Thiruvananthpuram district collector Dr K Vasuki, who is co-ordinating rescue works in Kerala, said at least 40 fishermen are still stranded at sea.
Many rescued persons are admitted in Thiruvananthapuram medical college and hospital that opened a special ward for cyclone victims.
In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, three more deaths were reported on Friday. Xaviour Luis (57), a native of Poonthura in Thiruvananthpuram, died after his boat collapsed and another fisherman rescued by the Coast Guard later succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Rescue team brought another unidentified body to the shore.
Five damaged boats washed ashore along Kerala coasts. There is no news about the fishermen in these boats.
At least 2,000 families living near sea and low-lying areas have been evacuated and moved to safer places.
Amid the fury of cyclone, a raging controversy erupted after many fishermen alleged that they were not given any warning by the state fisheries department.
However National Disaster Management Authority claimed that it informed two state governments, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, about the impending cyclonic storms and heavy rains.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government received the warning on Thursday.