Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi

Udupi, Sep 16: In a harrowing maritime disaster that has only just come to light, a deep-sea fishing boat that ventured out from the Malpe port plunged to the bottom of the Arabian Sea after its hull cracked wide open on August 31. Miraculously, all eight crew members aboard cheated a watery grave and were safely rescued by a prompt sister vessel.

According to the official incident report, the ill-fated trawler, Shri Divyanshi-1, is owned by Pushpa B Salian of Thottam. The vessel had originally set sail from the Malpe port in the dead of night on August 31, around 1:30 am.

Operating roughly 45 to 50 fathoms deep into the sea off Malpe, the routine fishing trip took a terrifying turn when the crew heard a sharp, ominous thud against the underside of the vessel.

Upon rushing into the engine room to investigate, they were greeted by a nightmare: the hull had ruptured, and seawater was gushing inside like a broken dam.

A desperate SOS and frantic bailing

Though the panicked crew scrambled frantically to bail out the rapidly rising water, their back-breaking efforts were entirely overwhelmed by the relentless inflow. Realising they were staring down a sinking ship, the boat's tandel (skipper) grabbed the wireless set and fired off a frantic distress call to nearby boats.

Answering the call with lightning speed, the crew of the Vighnaraj boat raced to the coordinates and pulled all eight exhausted fishermen to safety. Yet, drama followed disaster: as the rescuers attempted to lash a towline to the crippled vessel and drag it back to safety, heavy sea swells battered the wreck. The massive water pressure snapped the thick rope like a twig, sending Shri Divyanshi-1 spiralling into a final, watery grave.