Cyclone Ockhi claims six more lives in Kerala, death toll rises to 13 in state

With six more people reported killed in Kerala in the cyclone Ockhi related calamity, the death toll in the state has now risen to 13.

According to television reports, six people were killed in the state on Saturday. 

As per information provided by the state control room, five people were killed in Thiruvananthapuram, the southernmost district which is worst affected by the calamity.

They have been identified as Saviour, Christy, Appu, Nadir, Sumathi and Alphonsa. 

While Sumathi and Alphonsa were electrocuted after stepping on a power cable, the rest are fishermen who had gone missing. 

Dead bodies of four fishermen have been recovered by the teams who were carrying out the rescue operations. 

As many as 151 people have been missing since Wednesday in the state. 

Fishermen who had ventured into the sea from Kollam and Kochi have also been missing. 

Among those who have been rescued and those who have gone missing, there are fishermen from Bengal and Colachal in Tamil Nadu also. 

There are also unconfirmed reports that 12 fishermen who had ventured into the sea in a boat from Kollam port, were killed. There were fishermen from other states as well in the boat.

There are 1,494 families in relief camps. Among these, 562 are in Thiruvananthapuram and 82 in Kollam. The corresponding figure for Alappuzha is 30, Ernakulam 718, Thrissur 95 and Malappuram seven.

A loss of Rs 7.8 crores has been estimated so far.  The government has also decided to ask the Centre to declare it as a national disaster. 

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan meanwhile has announced Rs10 lakh each for the family of the deceased. 

“Now, there is a situation in which the alerts for not venturing into the sea are not reaching fishermen. The state will work out a more effective system so that the fishermen don’t miss such alerts in the future,” the Chief Minister said at a press meet.

The Chief Minister visited those undergoing treatment at Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram.

However, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president MM Hassan said that the government had failed to manage the situation and did not even hold a special cabinet meeting.