VASCO
The Indian Coast Guard rescued 15 crew from a fishing boat off the Goa coast after it was caught up in the cyclone Tauktae.
The Coast Guard said the CG ship ‘Samarth’ responded to a distress call and rescued 15 crew from a fishing boat ‘Milad’ off the Goa Coast in a swift operation.
According to reports, the Coast Guard received a message from Kochi at about 11.05 am on Sunday that the Kerala-registered boat “Milaad” was in distress at about 6.5 miles off the Aguada lighthouse.
The Coast Guard district headquarters in Goa swung into action and coordinated rescue operations, while the Coast Guard operations room was in constant touch with the fishing boat.
The boat’s crew said they were stranded due to an engine breakdown and ingress of water in the boat, while requesting immediate rescue as they feared sinking of the boat.
The Coast Guard ship ‘Samarth’ sailed at about 3 am on Monday and proceeded with maximum speed to the site to render assistance, braving the adverse condition of the sea and nighttime.
The Coast Guard ship assessed the situation and on investigation realised that the boat crew could not be evacuated due to very rough weather.
Finally, the distressed boat was taken under tow with all 15 crew onboard and entered Mormugao harbour at 8 pm on Sunday.
At the harbour, the technical team of Coast Guard with the help of submersible pump de-flooded the compartments. The boat was later handed over to the State fisheries authorities, who subsequently took the boat for repairs.
