Bodies float in Paradip Port

The ministry officials are not sure how Mahapatra succeeded. “He was definitely calling from a satellite phone. He was probably using the one owned by Oswal industries in the area. The only other satellite phone there is with the Chief Minister, who is nowhere near the Port,” an official disclosed.

There are nearly 1,000 employees of the Port who live near the premises and all of them are feared stranded, either in their house or on the port. The information about the floating bodies has come as a shock to the officials.

“It is very difficult to say if all the employees are safe. The bodies couldalso be of local fishermen or the slum dwellers nearby. But the fact that there is no food or water has made the situation desperate,” the official said. The port area is reported to be submerged in more than 30 feet of water.

“We expected the situation to be bad but never thought that it would be so alarming. We asked Mahapatra about the damage caused to the port but it was as if he did not hear. There was despair in his voice. He somehow managed to tell us about the situation. It must be terrible, living like that for more than three days,” he added.

Another official in the ministry said that efforts were on to send relief, mainly food and water, from Vishakhapatnam via the land route. “That is the route which is likely to clear the fastest,” he said. While Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitish Kumar was in Patna, State minister Debendra Pradhan on Sunday left for Raipur, in an effort to make it to the affected areas from there.

“From Raipur, he will take a train till Sigura which is inhis Devgarh constituency in Orissa. And from there he will try to reach the cyclone affected areas,” a member of Pradhan’s staff said.