Coast Guards rescues six off Kasaragod coast

After searching the area for 30 minutes, wreckage and six people in the water some thirty nautical miles west of Kasaragod were spotted

The Coast Guard saved the lives of six mariners on Saturday after a Dornier 773 picked up a distress call around 11.35 am while on a routine patrol.

After searching the area for 30 minutes, the Dornier spotted wreckage and six people in the water some thirty nautical miles west of Kasaragod.

The Dornier dropped a life raft for the six individuals. Conditions were described as a sea state of two with wind speed touching 20 Knots and the current being at 1.5 knots. The Coast Guard also activated a coast vessel C448 for search and rescue operations. C448 reached the reported site in less than one hour.

The sunken vessel was reported as being a dhow, named the Safina-AL-Mirzan. The crew reported the flooding of their boat’s engine room about 40 nautical miles southeast of Mangalore which left them dead in the water. The vessel, which subsequently sank, had sailed from Old Mangalore Port on March 19, carrying 120 tons of spices, food grains, vegetables, sand and granite.

Five of the rescued individuals are from Gujarat and one is from Mangalore. They are reported to be in good health and were brought to New Mangalore. They are to be handed over to the Coastal Police/AD Fisheries.