In a dramatic rescue operation by the Indian Coast Guard, all 50 personnel have been safely evacuated from the jack-up rig "Key Singapore" operating off the coast near Okha in Gujarat. As cyclone 'Biparjoy', which intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm" approaches the eastern coast, visuals shared by the coast guard showed an Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-III on a rig amid strong winds as several people walked towards it, shielding themselves in the storm.
24 crew members were evacuated today, and 26 were evacuated yesterday, they said.
"In a nerve-racking mission, @IndiaCoastGuard Ship Shoor & ALH Mk-III (CG 858) augmented for evacuation of 50 personnel from Jack up rig "Key Singapore" off #Okha, #Gujarat. All 50 crew (26 crew on 12th Jun and 24 crew today) evacuated safely," they tweeted.
'Biparjoy' is likely to make landfall between Kutch and Pakistan's Karachi on Thursday afternoon. Evacuation will continue in villages near the Gujarat coast today.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah this morning chaired a meeting of disaster management ministers of states and Union Territories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday held a high-level review meeting on Cyclone Biparjoy and directed officials to take every possible measure to ensure that people living in vulnerable locations are safely evacuated.
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