Coast Guard rescues seven from sinking ship off Port Blair

In a sea-air coordinated action, seven crew of a sinking vessel MSV Safina Al Ghelani were rescued on Sunday near Port Blair, the Coast Guard said.

"The vessel sailed from Port Blair early morning on June 11, carrying cargo for Hutbay. However, due to bad weather and rough sea, water started flooding the vessel's engine room and she started sinking at about 1030 hrs on June 12," the Coast Guard said.

After receiving a distress signal from the sinking vessel, the Coast Guard launched the search and rescue operation using its helicopter and ships.

"The Coast Guard helicopter sighted the distressed ship near North Brother Island. The vessel was badly damaged and submerged near the Island," the statement said.

"A toll-free help line 1554 is also available with mariners to inform about any distress situation to the Indian Coast Guard for facilitating speedy search and rescue at sea," the statement said.

--IANS

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