Family members await the return of the missing fishermen in TVPM. Photo: B JayachandranThiruvananthapuram: Six days after the Cyclone Ockhi left a trail of death and destruction along the Kerala coast, the revenue department says that only 92 fishermen are yet to return from the sea.
But, according to a survey carried out at the houses of fishermen by the Latin Archdiocese, more than 200 men are yet to return. From this, 108 men are from the Thiruvananthapuram district.
While there is disparity and confusion over the number of people who lost their lives and those who are yet to return, hundreds of families continue to wait for their loved ones.
The death toll touched 33 when five more bodies were recovered and one person who was under treatment died Tuesday. Bodies of four people were handed over to their families in Kochi and one person in Valiyathura, Thiruvananthapuram, Tuesday. The Kochi natives' bodies were in a half-decomposed state.
The body of Vizhinjam native Jayan, 40, which was kept in the medical college mortuary in Thiruvananthapuram, was identified on Tuesday. Ten more bodies in hospitals in the state capital are yet to be identified. Procedures have been initiated to carry out a DNA test.
Rescue operations are continuing in full swing in the sea. So far, 2,664 people have been rescued. The Coast Guard ship Samrat was able to find 72 fishermen in six boats Tuesday. The boats include one from Kerala and five from Tamil Nadu.
In Kerala, 2,452 cyclone-affected people are staying in 21 relief camps. About 161 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.
The Kochi-Lakshadweep ship service, which was stopped due to the cyclone, resumed operations by Tuesday afternoon.
DNA tests
DNA tests are being carried out to identify those who lost their lives in the sea in the cyclone. The tests are being done at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre For Biotechnology. "Ten more bodies kept in the medical college mortuary are yet to be identified," said superintendent Dr M S Sharmad. In Puttingal firecracker tragedy, 13 people were identified through DNA tests.
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