Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced a relief fund of Rs 1,000 crore for Gujarat after undertaking an aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas in the state.

The defence ministry on Wednesday said that 26 bodies had been recovered and 186 crew members were rescued after a barge, identified as P305, sank in the Arabian Sea due to cyclone Tauktae.

The India Meteorological Department said that the cyclone had weakened into a depression. The agency also predicted light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over eastern Rajasthan.

As many as 45 people have died so far due to the cyclone across 12 districts of Gujarat and 12 more deaths occurred in Maharashtra.

Read the top updates of the day here:

9.14 pm: The depression caused as an after effect of Cyclone Tauktae weakens into low pressure area over east Rajasthan and adjoining west Madhya Pradesh, says India Meteorological Department.

9.11 pm: Twenty six bodies have so far been recovered, while 186 crew members have been rescued from the barge, identified as P305, that sank in the Arabian Sea due to cyclone Tauktae, ANI reports, quoting defence ministry officials.

9.07 pm: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas sets up a high-level committee to inquire into sequence of events leading to stranding of ONGC vessels in cyclone, reports ANI.

6.26 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces Rs 1,000 crore for relief work in Gujarat. An ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh will be given to families of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 to those who were injured due to the cyclone.

6.06 pm: At least 22 on board barge P305 that sank in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai coast due to the cyclone are dead and 65 are still missing, a Navy official tells PTI.

2.33 pm: Fourteen bodies have been recovered and brought to the Mumbai dockyard after a barge, identified as P305, sank in the Arabian Sea due to the cyclone, reports India Today.

2.32 pm: As many as 45 people have been killed due to cyclone Tauktae across 12 districts of Gujarat, reports PTI, citing officials.

2.28 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing an aerial survey of cyclone Tauktae’s impact in Gujarat and Diu, reports ANI.

12.30 pm: Commodore Manoj Jha, who led rescue operations off the Mumbai coast tells ANI: “We have been able to save another 300 lives at sea. Two other vessels were in distress, they were about to abandon ship and we assured them support.”

12.28 pm: The cyclonic storm Tauktae has weakened further into a depression over south Rajasthan and Gujarat, and lies around 30 km south-southwest of Udaipur and 170 km east-northeast of Deesa in Gujarat, reports The Indian Express.

12.26 pm: At least 17 more people have died in Gujarat as the cyclone caused destruction along the coastal districts of Saurashtra, reports The Times of India.

12.24 pm: A total of 89 passengers are still missing after the barge P305 that went adrift amid Cyclone Tauktae sank, repprts PTI, citing sources.

11.44 am: The National Disaster Response Force works to clear roads in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district.

11.40 am: Visuals from INS Kochi of people rescued from Barge P305.

11.34 am: INS Kochi Commanding Officer Captain Sachin Sequeira says that the Indian Navy has rescued about 184 people after a barge sunk, reports ANI. The vessel, identified as P305, had 273 people on board, of which 146 were rescued till Tuesday morning.

11.30 am: INS Kochi enters Mumbai harbour along with rescued personnel from Barge P305, reports ANI.

9.01 am: The India Meteorological Department says that Cyclone Tauktae has weakened into a depression. The weather forecasting agency says the cyclone lay centred over south Rajasthan and adjoining Gujarat region, about 60 kms west-southwest from Udaipur at 5.30 am.

7.50 am: Cyclone Tauktae has claimed at least 13 lives in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region and left 12 dead in Maharashta, reports The Indian Express.

7.40 am: At least four people were killed in Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi after it was hit by gusty winds and a dust storm under the influence of Cyclone Tauktae, reports PTI.

7.24 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat and Diu to take stock of the situation in view of the cyclone, reports ANI, quoting unidentified officials. Modi will conduct an aerial survey of areas such as Una, Diu, Jafarabad, and Mahuva. He will also hold a review meeting in Ahmedabad.

7.19 am: The India Meteorological Department says Cyclone Taukte was moving north-northeastwards and lay centred over Gujarat, about 110 km from Ahmedabad at 11.30 pm on Tuesday. It says the cyclone is likely to weaken into a “depression” in the next six hours.

Here are the updates from Tuesday:

  • Tauktae was downgraded to a “cyclonic storm” after it made landfall in Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.
  • The Indian Navy, which has been conducting multiple search operations, said that one of the barges that sent out an emergency rescue call has sunk. The vessel, identified as P305, had 273 people on board, of which 146 were rescued till Tuesday morning. As many as 81 were still missing and the Navy authorities are actively involved in a search and rescue operation.
  • The India Meteorological Department predicted “light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over the Gujarat region and Saurashtra on Tuesday”.
  • In the aftermath of the cyclone, at least 24 people died as several states across the western coast of India reeled under the impact of cyclone Tauktae. Twelve people died in Maharashtra, while eight died in Karnataka, four deaths occurred in Gujarat.
  • Gujarat chief minister’s office has said that the Covid-19 vaccination drive in the state has been suspended due to the Cyclone Taukte situation and would resume on May 20.