38 missing, 186 rescued four days after cyclone sinks barge off Mumbai

38 ONGC workers are still missing four days after a barge that was carrying 261 people sank 35 nautical miles off Mumbai as Cyclone Tauktae battered India's west coast, reports NDTV.

So far 186 people have been rescued and 37 bodies recovered from the wreck of barge P-305, which was one of three - the others were Gal Constructor and Support Station-3 - deployed by engineering firm Afcons for its ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) contract.

The Navy is leading a massive, round-the-clock rescue effort that includes several of its ships, P-81 reconnaissance aircraft and Sea King helicopters, as well as Coast Guard and ONGC vessels, to detect survivors from the sunken barge and other vessels stranded or affected by the storm.

All 137 people on Gal Constructor, which ran aground during the storm, were rescued Tuesday, the Coast Guard said.

The 201 onboard Support-Station 3, which was drifting northwest in the Mumbai High oilfield, are believed to be safe; the barge has been located by INS Talwar and is now being towed back to Mumbai harbour by ONGC support vehicles, according to news agency PTI.

The Directorate General of Shipping has ordered an investigation into the deaths. Mumbai Police has also announced a probe - into barge P-305 remaining in the area despite storm warnings. An ADR (accidental death report) was registered Wednesday in connection with the deaths.