Indian Coast Guard rescues 15 fishermen

Kolkata: Indian Coast Guard (ICG) saved the lives of 15 fishermen fighting rough weather at the high sea in Bay of Bengal on Sunday.

An Indian fishing boat (IFB) Krishna Kanaiya with around 15 crew members had lost its propeller. It drifted about 15 nautical miles in the past 24 hours as the crew members had lost control of the boat.

ICG ship Vijaya that was deployed in the northern Bay of Bengal had received a distress call on Saturday. Realising that it is important to trace out the boat at the minimum time required to rescue the 15 fishermen, ICG ship Vijaya led by DIG Vijay Singh started the operation.

Taking the direction of wind and sea condition under consideration, ICG ship Vijaya made necessary moves and located the boat at the minimum time possible. The fishermen were

rescued.

Meanwhile, officers at the Coast Guard Station at Frazerganj in South 24-Parganas contacted the boat owner and associations of fishermen. At around 8.15 am on Sunday, ICG authorities handed the fishermen over to the boat owner and members of associations of fishermen who went out with some more boats to bring them back.

"A little delay in identifying the boat would have turned worse as there was high possibilities of the boat to get broken into pieces due to the rough weather out at the sea. It would also have drifted into foreign water," stated a Press communique of the ICG.