Coast Guard rescues 15 fishermen in Bay of Bengal

Indian Coast Guard personnel have rescued 15 fishermen whose boat had got entangled with a fishing net in the Bay of Bengal, about 64 nautical miles southeast of Sagar Island, officials said Tuesday.

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) officials said that after they received information Sunday about the fishing boat Baba Loknath getting stranded, ICG ship Rajkiran immediately set sail from Haldia despite extremely rough weather due to heavy wind and swells.

An ICG Dornier aircraft also took off from Kolkata Monday for sea-air coordinated search.

Despite poor visibility in the area, the aircraft sighted the boat at 11.30 a.m. Monday and directed the ICG ship towards her.

Another aircraft was then launched to continue the operation, and ICG ship Rajkiran found the boat stranded due to entanglement of the fishing net with the propeller.

The ship towed the boat till Sagar Island and handed it over to another fishing boat which brought Baba Loknath to the harbour, the officials said.

Meanwhile, information was received by the Coast Guard Monday evening that another fishing boat Jagat Tarini was stranded due to engine failure.

Rajkiran, while towing Baba Loknath, contacted the boat, but found it drifting towards shallow waters where the ICG ship could not venture.

ICG Hovercraft H-193 was tasked to render assistance to the drifting fishing boat. However, the hovercraft had to return midway as the sea and weather conditions were beyond operating envelope of the craft.

The hovercraft then directed boats operating nearby to assist the stranded boat, which is now being towed by other fishing boats to the shore.