Nearly 1,000 tourists from West Bengal are stranded in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands because of cyclonic storm and heavy rain in many islands of the archipelago.
Senior State government officials said that the State government was in touch with the Navy and the Coastguard to get information on the stranded tourists. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure their safe return, the officials said.
“We are monitoring the situation and all tourists are safe. There is nothing to worry. All tourists are being taken care of by the local administration,” Mr Javed Khan, State Disaster Management Minister, said.
According to the Minister, the department secretary has already spoken to the Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and has been assured of the safety of the tourists.
“The situation is expected to improve tomorrow onwards. We hope that ferry and air services will be resumed tomorrow,” Mr Khan added.
Meanwhile, the department secretary, Mr Indevar Pandey, told reporters at Writers' Buildings that strong winds with 45-50 km per hour speed were lashing various islands and ferry services were suspended for a day.