Fourteen die after barge sinks as cyclone batters India's west coast

Members of the Indian Navy transport a person to receive medical attention after a rescue from a sunken barge in the Arabian Sea in the aftermath of cyclone Tauktae's landfall, at naval air station INS Shikra in Mumbai, May 18, 2021. Indian Navy/Handout via REUTERS

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Fourteen people have died as a barge sank off India's west coast after a powerful cyclone barrelled into the country, authorities said on Wednesday, while Indian navy ships and aircraft scoured waters to locate scores of other missing personnel.

"We can confirm that 14 bodies have been recovered from the rescue operation of barge P305" that sank off the coast of Mumbai, Mehul Karnik, chief public relations officer, Western Naval Command told Reuters.