Governor of Andaman, Jagdish Mukhi, on Friday said that around 320 foreign tourists are stranded at Avelock and Neil islands in the Andamans after heavy rain and "cyclonic weather conditions" are safe. He also added, that approximately 1000 tourists are stranded at the islands.
On Thursday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh cited the numbers of tourists stranded at the islands at 1,400 tourists. who are stranded at avelock and Neil islands in the Andamans after heavy rain and "cyclonic weather conditions" are safe. He also made an appeal to the families of the tourists not to panic.
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"The government will launch the rescue operations immediately after the intensity of the cyclone reduces. The teams are ready in Port Blair," Rajnath Singh tweeted.
Four ships – Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and LCU 38 – have been sent by the navy for evacuating the tourists but they were unable to dock on Wednesday due to the bad weather.
According to officials, the waves that are up to 5 m high, are making the job of transferring the tourists onto the ships difficult and dangerous.
"The ships are waiting outside the harbour. Adequate food, fresh water, medicines and doctors besides divers and local administration personnel are being ferried on board to provide relief," a Defence official said.
Cyclonic conditions caused by a severe depression over the Bay of Bengal have hit the two islands, located around 40 km from Port Blair. The depression resulted in heavy rain, strong winds and a rough sea.
An 'L1 Disaster' has been declared by the administration.
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