Bhatkal: A fisherman went missing, while seven of his companions were rescued after the boat in which they were sailing capsized off the coast near Bhatkal on Wednesday.
The missing fisherman has been identified as Manjunath Kharvy (35).
The boat with eight fishermen set off from Bhatkal port at around 2 pm on Wednesday and capsized at around 4.30 pm.
However, surprisingly, seven fishermen saved themselves after swimming across for about nine kms, fighting turbulent waves. Fishermen in another boat that was moving towards the shore rescued the seven fishermen. They reached ashore at around 1.30 am on Thursday August 4.
They have been admitted into the Bhatkal Government Hospital.
A release from Coast Guards stated that on receipt of information, Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Mangalore functioning under the aegis of Coast Guard Karnataka sailed Indian Coast Guard Ship Kasturba Gandhi for the search and rescue of the fisherman at 10 am on 04 Aug 2016. Another Coast Guard Ship from Goa has also been alerted to keep a sharp lookout for the missing fisherman.
Coast Guard Karnataka has advised the fishermen that the sea conditions are presently rough and high speed winds accompanied by squalls and heavy rainfall are frequent. The fisherman should check weather forecasts before proceeding to sea. They should have DATs (Distress Alerting Transmitters), radio communication equipment (VHF), life saving appliances, documents of boats and biometric identity cards, additional mobile phones/batteries, temporary repair kits, first aid kit, extra fuel and ration, flashlights with additional batteries and necessary medicines. The fishing boats should operate in pairs or groups.
These measures have been suggested keeping in mind the safety of the fishermen at sea. Any untoward incident involving safety of life at sea should be promptly reported to the Coast Guard or other maritime security agencies like CSP so that search and rescue efforts can be launched in time.
The assistance from Indian Coast Guard can be sought round the clock on toll free number: 1554. In case of distress, details like GPS position, type of emergency, colour of boat and number of crew should be intimated for timely assistance. The other emergency numbers are: Police – 100, Coast Guard – 2405269/2405270 and Ambulance – 108.
