Coast Guard rescues 22 crew members of cargo vessel

The Indian Coast Guard has rescued 22 crew members, including 18 Maldivian nationals and four Indians, from a cargo vessel which was adrift for the past two days in the Arabian Sea after engine failure, an official release said Thursday.

The crew members were rescued from Maldivian registered MV Asian Express, which was 50 nautical miles north of Minicoy Island.

The 5,955 gross tonnage cargo vessel, en route from Mohammad Bin Qasim port in Pakistan to Male, was carrying cargo of cement and sand. It was adrift due to engine failure the past two days, the release said.

It said weather in the area was extremely hostile and the first information of the vessel was passed by an Indian Navy ship.