CHENNAI: Four days after a fishing boat, Mercedes, went missing, the Indian Coast Guard on Wednesday located it about 1,100 km (590 miles) from Goa, after a massive search operation. The boat had sailed for deep sea fishing on April 6 with 11 crew on-board, for a 30-day voyage, from Thengapattnam fishing harbour in Tamil Nadu.
After the boat was reportedmissing, ICGS Samudra Prahari on concurrent deployment was diverted for search. After four days of search amid challenges of distance from mainland and weather, the boat was located around 200 miles (around 370 kilometers) from Lakshadweep Islands.
Indian Coast Guard’s Dornier aircraft corroborated its presence on Wednesday, and MRCC established communication with the boat on satellite phone and ascertained the crew to be safe. Meanwhile, the crew of IFB Mercedes called up home through satellite phone to indicate they were safe. The boat is returning to its base port under ICG escort and will reach around May 3, the release added.