Daijiworld News Network - Udupi (GA)

Udupi, Aug 16: Even as the entire district was celebrating the Independence Day with pomp, Coast Guards were busy in a rescue operation in the Arabian Sea, fighting the raging waves to save fishermen who had been caught in the middle of the sea for more than 30 hours.

It was on Tuesday August 15 morning that Coast Guards received the news that a boat named Gift of God (Deeksha) owned by Suresh Amin of Malpe had been caught in the middle of the sea and the fishermen in the boat were fighting for life.

The Coast Guard rescue vessel "Kasturba Gandhi', immediately sprung into action along with merchant tanker Puneeta.  Within a few hours, the Coast Guard succeeded in rescuing all the four fishermen.  They were immediately brought to NMPT where they were identified as Anthony (29), Wilfred (21), Kennedy (26) and Anthony (36). All of them were from Kerala.  They were later taken by their owner to Malpe.

Meanwhile another boat owned by Suresh of Kola near Malpe here too was reported trapped in the middle of the raging sea at Malpe.  There were three fishermen in the boat who were thrown into the sea after a mighty wave hit their boat which sunk within few moments.  As soon as the news reached Malpe, one more boat went in search of them.  However, one fisherman from the boat accidentally fell in the sea.

News was then passed on to Coast Guards who rescued all the four fishermen from drowning. However, the boat sunk along with fishing net and other things.  The loss has been estimated at Rs 4 lac.

Despite raging sea and storm winds, Coast Guards did a commendable job in rescuing 7 fishermen in the undivided district of Dakshina Kannada, thus giving a new lease of life to all of them.