Indian Coast Guard rescues 20 Bangladeshi fishermen post-landfall of cyclone Sitrang
The coast guard in the Indian Ocean rescued a group of 20 Bangladeshi fishermen post-landfall of Cyclone Sitrang on Tuesday (25 October).
The fishermen are set to be handed over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard in accordance with MoU existing between the two Coast Guards.
"In a swift co-ordinated Search & Rescue Operation @IndiaCoastGuard rescued 20 Bangladeshi fishermen post-landfall of cyclone #Sitrang. Fishermen will be handed over to #Bangladesh in accordance with the existing MoU," ICG tweeted.
After the landfall, the Indian Coast Guard launched its Dornier aircraft to look for any vessels stranded at sea. During a surveillance sortie, the aircraft spotted around 20 persons in the water, about 90 nautical miles (166 km) from Sagar Island in West Bengal, near the Indo-Bangladesh International Maritime Border Line, reports NDTV.
They were clinging to floats and debris from their sunken boats that had capsized due to the cyclone. In a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the aircraft dropped a life raft into the water and remained in the area till all survivors were on board.
The aircraft also alerted a merchant ship 'Nanta Bhum' which was on its way from Port Klang in Malaysia to Kolkata and was sailing nearby. The vessel was asked to ferry the fishermen to Indian Coast Guard Ships Vijaya, Varad, and C-426 and look for more survivors.
The fishermen were brought aboard Vijaya and given medical treatment.
