Coast Guard rescues 12 fishers stranded off Kochi

Personnel of Indian Coast Guard ship Aryaman on Monday rescued 12 fishermen who were stranded on board their vessel, IFB Jesus, since Saturday, amidst inclement weather, about 70 nautical miles (approximately 130 km) off Kochi.

The vessel that was in distress was traced through consistent and continuous search by air-sea coordinated patrol. A Dornier aircraft of the Coast Guard identified the marooned boat and vectored Aryaman for the rescue operation. Subsequently, all 12 fishermen in the boat were provided food, water and first aid. Efforts to remedy the defect on board IFB Jesus were futile due to rough sea conditions and the inadequacy of spare parts. The boat along with its crew was then towed to Thoppumpady in Kochi.

Another rescue

In another rescue operation, nine fishermen stranded on a tug off New Mangalore were rescued in a coordinated effort by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard on Monday. The fishermen were stranded on board Coromandel Supporter IX, which ran aground on a rock close to the New Mangalore coast as Cyclone Tauktae ravaged the sea.

An air rescue effort was requisitioned from the Navy, since the Coast Guard ship Varaha could not approach the tug due to the turbulent sea. In an early morning operation, an Advanced Light Helicopter took off from INS Garuda at Kochi and, after re-fuelling at the Mangaluru airport, undertook the rescue mission by winching the stranded seamen from the grounded tug.

Inclement weather conditions, the rough sea, and the proximity of rocks made the rescue a challenging operation. Four of the nine crew members were winched up and rescued by the Indian Navy helicopter, and the remaining five by the Coast Guard ship. The rescued personnel were provided medical treatment at the Mangaluru airport.

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