M A I N   N E W S

Rescuers spot wreckage, find no survivors

Mumbai, August 12
Rescuers spotted the wreckage of the Russian-built helicopter that crashed off the Mumbai coast, but hopes dimmed about finding alive the 24 missing ONGC employees today, a day after the chopper carrying them went down into the Arabian Sea.

A top Naval official said chances of finding more survivors than the two rescued yesterday appeared slim because the wreckage had been lying at a depth of 55 metre for more than 24 hours now.

The MI-72 helicopter chartered by state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plunged into the sea minutes after leaving a rig in the Neelam Fields, near Mumbai. Three persons were confirmed dead.

The Coast Guard, which is coordinating search and rescue operations, was finding it difficult to lift the wreckage from the ocean depths.

The Navy has since yesterday pressed three ships, two Sea King and one Chetak helicopter into search operations.

A special salvage vessel is also being used to lift the wreckage, Coast Guard Deputy Commandant V. Anberson told UNI. It is a specialised job and requires extreme precision, besides total co-ordination between men and machines, he said.

Rough weather, high tides and poor visibility were hampering the salvage, a source observed.

The crash also threw work at the ONGC, which produces almost 80 per cent of the country’s crude, as angry staff vowed an indefinite strike from tomorrow over safety.

The cease-work call came in defiance of last week’s Supreme Court ruling that the government workers had no right to strike. — UNI