Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday that, so far, 357 fishermen who had been stranded at sea due to Cyclone Ockhihad been rescued.
Sitharaman had reached Kanyakumari on Sunday to take stock of the situation.
Ockhi has ravaged the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Lakshadweep Islands.
It had also been expected to hit the coast of Gujarat.
"Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force are still engaged in rescue operations to save the lives of fishermen affected by Cyclone Ockhi," ANI reported Sitharaman as saying.
"Information has also been passed to an international safety network and foreign ships to help rescue our fishermen. Meanwhile, 68 boats have reached Maharashtra coast out of which two boats were from Tamil Nadu and others from Kerala," she added.
Also read: 30 diedue to Cyclone Ockhi
Sitharaman added that the search area was being widened since a number of coastal villages were reporting that fishermen who had ventured out to sea as much as 15 days ago had not yet returned.