Tourists stranded in Andamans after cyclone

December 27th, 2011 - 10:44 pm ICT by IANS  

Kolkata, Dec 27 (IANS) Over 400 tourists from West Bengal are among the around 1,000 tourists stranded at Havelock Island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after a cyclone hit the southeast Bay of Bengal, said officials Tuesday. A minister said all tourists from the state were safe.

Tourists from the state, stranded on the island, complained there was no electricity or drinking water, and food and medicines were inadequate. They also lamented the absence of any ferry service to rescue them from the island.

“I spoke to Shakti Sinha (chief secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Islands). He said the ferry services have been suspended for a day due to heavy winds but has assured that things there are all right and there is nothing to panic about,” Fire and Emergency Services and Disaster Management Secretary Indevar Pandey said at the state secretariat.

Disaster Management and Fire and Emergency Services Minister Javed Ahmed Khan said all tourists from the state are safe and the state government was in touch with the navy and the Coast Guard as well as officials in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to enquire about the condition of the tourists.

Officials of the department said that there are over 1,000 tourists from all across the country and about 400 are likely to be from West Bengal.

An official of the Alipore meteorological department said the cyclone ‘Thane’ will not have much of an effect on the weather conditions of the city and only the minimum temperature is likely to rise by a few degrees.

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