The Latin rite Archdiocese of Trivandrum, calls for more reparations. At least 40 fishermen died at sea and another 5656 rescued alive. The authorities must declare the cyclone "a natural disaster".
Trivandrum (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Archdiocese of Trivandrum, in Kerala, is leading protests in favor of fishermen who have been missing for more than a week. They disappeared at sea due to the strong gusts of wind and floods caused by the Cyclone Ockhi, which hit the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The updated toll speaks of 40 dead bodies recovered from the waves and at least 100 people still missing. The local Latin rite archbishop Msgr. Maria Calist Soosa Pakiam, also calls for the government to grant adequate compensation to the families of the victims and to the population struck by the natural disaster.
During the Angelus of December 10, Pope Francis offered his closeness to the families of the victims of the cyclone. Yesterday, at least 100 thousand Catholics, coming from all the parishes of the state, marched through the streets of the capital Thiruvananthapuram, until they met in front of the Raj Bhawan (government building). There they prayed and intoned the slogan "Evite poyi sarkare? Matcha Thozhilali vanilla "(" Oh government, where are you? Bring home our lost fishermen ").
They demand that the authorities recognize the effects of the Cyclone Ockhi as a "natural disaster" and guarantee economic assistance for the losses, to be distributed immediately in the affected areas. They also launch an appeal to Indian premier Narendra Modi, to visit the area and take action. Meanwhile, Kerala announced that it had requested aid for R $ 18.34 billion (about € 242 million).
The cyclone struck on the southern coast of the country on November 30. In all, 207 houses were completely destroyed and another 2753 damaged; 5656 fishermen were rescued at sea and 159 of them were hospitalized with serious injuries; the rains have destroyed 2053 hectares of crops and endangered the lives of over 15 thousand farmers.