Indian Coast Guard rescues severely injured Lankan fisherman

An Indian Coast Guard team has rescued a Sri Lankan fisherman who had suffered a life threatening deep cut on his neck while fishing onboard a vessel.

According to an official statement, the Director General Operations of the Sri Lanka Navy informed the Indian Coast Guard on Thursday morning that Lankan fisherman Malwatta Pathirannehalage Sunil Shantha, 47, was badly injured and that his condition was critical.

The fisherman was onboard a vessel that was fishing 98 nautical miles from Chenyakara lighthouse in Lakshadweep.

An Indian Coast Guard ship, Samar, which was on a separate operational mission in the area and was approximately 174 nautical miles from the Lankan vessel, was diverted for medical aid to the injured fisherman, the statement said.

The Indian ship located the Lankan boat on Thursday evening and a medical team gave first aid to the fisherman with an 8 cm long and 1.5 cm deep cut.

The injured fisherman was taken onboard Samar and stitching and scalp suturing of the wound were done under local anesthesia. The patient was stable and was under observation as the ship sailed towards Kochi for further treatment. It was likely to reach there on Saturday.

The Lankan boat bearing registration number IMUL-A-0507-CHW had left Sri Lanka on February 14 with five crew.

The Sri Lankan Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) had first informed its Indian counterpart in Mumbai about the injured fisherman on February 27. The vessel was then fishing at 100 Nautical Mile west of Suheli Par Island in Lakshadweep.

The Colombo-based MRCC had said that the patient was stable and evacuation of the patient was being planned by the Sri Lankan Navy on February 28. But that couldn't happen, forcing the Director General Operations of the Sri Lanka Navy to get in touch with the Indian Coast Guard on March 1 for the rescue operation.

--IANS

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