Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surjya Narayan Patro on Saturday said the 18 fishermen, who went missing in the sea off the state’s coast, had been located but they were yet to be rescued. According to the minister, they had been trapped in a rough patch in the sea, some four km off Paradip, and that the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) had been asked to make the necessary arrangements to ferry oil supplies to the stranded vessel.
The missing fishermen had, in fact, contacted the Coast Guard but the rescue operation could not be conducted since the sea was extremely rough. Despite this, the minister said efforts were still under way to rescue the trapped fisherfolk.
And Patro added that Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central Division) Arvind Padhee had been asked to coordinate the rescue operation. Also, the owner of the trawler had been arrested. Around 300 personnel from the Army’s engineering wing have already reached the state and 10 IAF helicopters and two AN 32 planes kept on standby at the Barrackpore Airbase in West Bengal. Besides, 29 marine rescue teams and 30 Navy doctors were sent to the state for rescue and relief operation with the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force.