Coast Guard Rescues 13 Fishermen Adrift in Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast

Ahmedabad: Amid heavy rains in Gujarat, the Indian Coast Guard has rescued 13 fishermen on board a boat adrift in the Arabian Sea off the coast in the state’s Devbhumi Dwarka district, the maritime security agency said on Wednesday.

Acting on an SOS message from the owner of the fishing boat ‘Padmawati’ on Tuesday, the ICG deployed its advanced light helicopter (ALH) and a ship for their rescue, it said in a statement.

The vessel was around 15 km from Dwaraka and had suffered a machinery breakdown due to rough weather and inclement sea conditions off the coast, it said.

“The ICG, as ‘First Responder At Sea’, immediately deployed an ALH helicopter to take stock of the situation. Meanwhile, ICG ship Abheek was diverted for the rescue operations, despite adverse weather and very rough sea conditions,” it said.

In a nightlong operation, the ship towed the boat amid hostile weather conditions and brought it to Okha safely on Wednesday morning. All 13 crew members were safe, said the statement.

Multiple agencies have been engaged to carry out rescue and relief operations after heavy rains battered several parts of Gujarat, creating flood-like situations and leaving thousands stranded.

The state government has been allocated six Army columns for rescue operations, while 14 platoons of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRD) and 22 SDRF platoons have been deployed for disaster management efforts.

Additionally, the Navy and Coast Guard have joined in the rescue and relief operations, according to the state government.

The state’s Saurashtra region has experienced heavy to very heavy rains in the last 24 hours, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting extremely heavy rains at isolated places on Thursday as well. 

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