The joint search team struggling to retrieve bodies from Tuesday’s ship tragedy, is planning to tow the sunken ship to shallow waters. The services of two tugs have been sought to make their job easier, sources said.
Though the diving team had detected many bodies trapped inside the ill-fated ship on Thursday, they were unable to retrieve them as the vessel was lying some 22 metres under the water surface.
Though the search team earlier sought the help of a barge to tow the 33.56-metre-long vessel, the plan didn’t work. The warning against a possible oil spill by some marine environment agencies has also detracted the search team from its attempt to break open the vessel and extricate the bodies. “Two tugs have moved to the accident site. We hope they can shift the vessel to a shallow area,” sources added.
A massive search operation is still under way on the fourth successive day. The Navy, Coast Guard and Port authorities are being supported in the endaevour by some other agencies.
Meanwhile, there is total confusion about the total number of bodies retrieved. The number of bodies being kept at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) morgue and the claims made by various agencies are at odds. HBK Company sources who claimed that ten bodies were recovered on Thursday, clarified yesterday that it was a communication gap between the government agencies and the company’s Public Relations Department. However, he added, that two more bodies were recovered yesterday.
Quoting the Coast Guard, Port sources, however, told this paper that a total of four bodies had been recovered yesterday.
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