KOCHI: The Indian Coast Guard rescued eight persons from a boat that sunk in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Lakshadweep on Tuesday. The boat, MSV Varatha Rajan (CLR 192), was on a routine inter-island passage from Agatti to Androth islands where it developed a technical snag and suffered water seepage.
As per sources, the dhow was carrying a cargo of construction materials from Mengaluru. “The crew of eight hailing from Cuddalore are Tamilians. The dhow developed a malfunction in the engine and the crew tried to rectify it. However, adverse weather conditions and the rough sea led to the dhow taking in water and later sinking,” said sources.
The crew attempted to save themselves by boarding a small life raft that was onboard the dhow and tried to take it towards the nearest land.
“The dhow was adrift for three days. It was reported missing after it failed to make it to the designated port that had been mentioned in its itinerary. The dhow was overdue for more than 72 hours. So, an air and sea coordinated rescue operation was initiated on Monday. The Coast Guard Dornier spotted the life raft drifting and alerted the rescue team on the ICGS Saksham, who then picked up the dhow’s crew,” said the communique from the Indian Coast Guard’s Fort Kochi office.