The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Sunday night undertook a search and rescue operation after being informed by Palghar police at 9.50 pm that the engine of two fishing boats had failed and they were sin
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Sunday night undertook a search and rescue operation after being informed by Palghar police at 9.50 pm that the engine of two fishing boats had failed and they were sinking. Luckily, all 12 fishermen onboard managed to swim to safety before the boats sank without a trace.
An ICG official confirmed the news and told The Asian Age that an ICG helicopter was kept on standby as part of the search and rescue operation. “On Monday morning, we discovered that both boats had sunk,” he said.
Recalling the turn of events, the official said that after they were informed that the boats were sinking in the sea near Umargaon village, an ICG ship, Agrim, was sent to the spot to give primary help to the crew and save the boats. An 841 Sqn helicopter was kept on alert at Daman, and the ICG station at Dahanu contacted the fishing community, asking them to organise a search and rescue operation.
In the meantime, the owner of the two boats that were sinking sent two more boats to the spot to offer help. Till around 2am on Monday, not a single fisherman was sighted. Only later did they come to know that the 12 crewmembers had swum to the shoreline. Both the ICG ship and helicopter in the early hours of Monday confirmed complete sinking of the two fishing boats. “The entire crew is safe and getting medical checkups,” informed an official.
