Navy Ships to Rescue 800 Tourists From Andaman After Heavy Rains

The deployed ships will help rescue the tourists stranded on Havelock island and ferry them to Port Blair.

INS Bitra. Picture for representational purposes only. (Photo Courtesy: Sainik Samachar)

Over 800 tourists have been stranded at Havelock Islands in the Andamans due to heavy rains with the Navy pressing into service four ships today to evacuate them.

Heavy overnight rains have disrupted normal life in the island with a flood-like situation in north and middle Andamans.

While officials have put the number of tourists stranded at 800, the tour operators said 1,200 tourists are stuck.

Mobile and Internet connectivity have also been snapped in many areas.

“More than 800 tourists are stranded in Havelock Island,” CPRO Defence SS Birdi said.

Indian naval ships Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and LCU 38 have been deployed for evacuation, which has not yet begun because of "unfavourable conditions".

The sudden evacuation mission was initiated at the request of the Andaman and Nicobar disaster management, which speculates that a "cyclonic storm" might strike Havelock, an island about 40 km from the state capital Port Blair, a Navy official said.

Ships are waiting outside harbour. Adequate food, fresh water, medicines and doctors besides divers and local administration personnel being ferried on board to provide succour and relief.

Official

The ships, which had departed Port Blair at 0315 hours, will ferry the stranded tourists back to Port Blair.

Havelock is one of the populated islands in the Andaman archipelago.