Saturday, June 4 2005 18:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Haldia (WB): The chief officer of Kolkata-bound cargo ship, M V Faiz, which caught fire and was found adrift and abandoned on June 2, was still missing as the ten crew members rescued by the Coast Guard arrived in Haldia onboard the CGS Chand Bibi today (Jun 4, 2005).

Coast Guard Commander, Eastern Region, Gurupesh Singh, told a press conference in Haldia in the presence of the crew that four skulls and charred bones, found on board, could be that of Captain P B Shelley, his wife Smita and their two children, but this could be ascertained only after forensic examination.

Two of the human remains had been found on the gutted deck, and two in the captain's cabin, he said. The remains of two found on the deck could be that of the captain and his son, and the other two those of the wife and daughter, the CG Commander said.

Reconstructing the events, he said that the fire had broken out at 10:00 am on May 31 on board the 53 metre vessel which had sailed from Yangon with a cargo of 800 tonne of pulses.

The Coast Guard was first informed by the managing director, Pervez Rahman, of the shipping company, which owned M V Faiz on June 1 that it was 24 hours overdue.

Coast Guard aircraft and vessels immediately began search operations but the ship could not be located. The operations were hampered by rough seas and poor visibility, the CGS commander said.

The ship was found at 8:30 am on June 2, 150 nautical miles from Haldia abandoned and drifting with evidence that there had been a major fire on board, the CG commander said.

That same evening at 8:05 pm distress flares were spotted by the Coast Guard. Thereafter a life raft with ten crew members were spotted and rescued 17 km from the point from which the M V Faiz was found adrift, the CG commander said.

A crew member, Rajiv Sinha said that the missing chief officer, Rajiv Lahiri, had jumped into the waters without a life jacket.

Deck Master Ashok Kumar Singh said that the ship caught fire at 10:00 am on May 31.

Meanwhile, the ill-fated cargo ship was being towed to Kolkata by a ship, M V Atish, of the India Transport and Travel Pvt Ltd, the owners.