PUDUCHERRY: The Indian Coast Guard today rescued 18 people stranded for hours at sea off the coast of Puducherry after their vessel developed a technical snag.
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy told reporters that the eighteen people - three crew members and 15 ornithologists from Puducherry, Chennai and Mumbai - had gone into the sea in the mechanised vessel from the harbour here last night.
After the vessel travelled 15 nautical miles, it developed a technical snag. The people aboard contacted their friends and relatives on the shore who alerted the police.
The police then sought the services of the Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard team located the vessel and towed it back to the shore early today.
An inquiry found the vessel lacked basic communication equipment, Narayanasamy said, adding that the police was probing the incident.
The chief minister urged people heading into the sea in private boats to first check whether the vessels were equipped and whether their owners had the required permission.