It has been six days since the family members of Saneesh Joseph, a resident of Eruvessi in Kannur district, have been anxiously waiting to hear anything about him.
Mr. Joseph, a rigger employed with a Mumbai-based company, Mathew Associates- Hook up and Weld Service is one among the 26 people, who are still missing after the barge P-305 with 271 men onboard sunk off the Mumbai coast during Cyclone Tauktae.
He had just turned 35-year-old on last Saturday, which was two days before the cyclone sunk the barge near the Mumbai coast.
“Since he was working in the rig he hardly got much time to make a call. The family last heard anything from him on 15 May, which was his birthday,” said Aneesh Joseph, who is the older brother of Aneesh.
“Though he was busy with his work, we exchanged birthday greetings and he responded through a voice message by evening, said Mr. Aneesh. It’s difficult to make a call from the rig and he generally sent messages or voice through the wats app, he explained.
“He was very excited and had informed of returning to the village by June first week. But it was the last time that we heard anything from him,” Mr. Aneesh said.
Mr. Saneesh has been working with the company for the past eight years, he added
When the news of the cyclone sinking the barge came out, they tried several times to reach him by sending the message. But the message didn’t deliver, he said. However, they could not contact him or anyone in the office.
Mr. Aneesh said one of his friends, who was rescued by the navy, after he jumped along with Saneesh into the sea is that he was swept away by the huge waves. They jumped into the sea, when the waves about 8 meters high hit the barge and it was about to sink. They could not hold on and the waves swept him away, he added.
While the family is still pinning hopes and expecting his return, they are tensed and perturbed with the delay in getting any information about him.
Mr. Aneesh said that police, MLA’s and ministers are in touch and they are trying to find some information about him.
Meanwhile, Kannur MP K Sudhakaran has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention.
In the letter, he said that Saneesh’s family is in utter despair that they are unable to find any information on him for past six days.
He sought Mr. Modi’s intervention citing that the survivors, families of the missing and dead person want answers and accountability.
