KOCHI: Lakshadweep administration and the Coast Guard came to the rescue of a young fisherman from Thiruvananthapuram, whose health condition deteriorated critically while he was fishing at midsea. The youth, Akhil Antony aka Rahul, a native of Vettuthura near Channankara in Thiruvananthapuram district, was suffering from kidney ailments.
He was shifted to Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kavaratti on Thursday and was airlifted to Kochi airport by the Lakshadweep administration on Friday evening. Rahul was taken to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital late in the night where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.
The youth had set off for fishing from Thengapattinam harbour in Tamil Nadu in ‘Mazhai Malai Matha,’ a fishing boat registered in Tamil Nadu, on October 29. The boat had 16 crew members including four from Kerala, 11 from Tamil Nadu and one from Assam. The 22-year-old was suffering from kidney ailments and was in a critical condition for the past 20 days.
The boat was located near Suheli Par island. Though the boat had a satellite phone, it was not working and after much effort they contacted the boat owner in Kanyakumari. “We contacted the Coast Guard which deployed a fast patrol vessel to rescue the youth from the boat. He was taken to Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kavaratti. He was suffering from oedema due to kidney ailment and was unable to urinate. His condition improved on Friday after which we approached the administration for medical evacuation,” said Lakshadweep fisheries assistant director Jaffer Hisham.