Coast Guard rescues five fishers, search on for two more

Boat Rashida Mol was stranded off Chettuva following engine failure

Just as it continues searching for two missing fishermen of boat Tiyamol which capsized off Chettuva in inclement weather, the Coast Guard rescued all five fishermen from boat Rashidha Mol, which was stranded off Chettuva following engine failure.

The boat had gone out on July 28 from Tanur. A Coast Guard communication said fast patrol vessel Arnvesh, which was operating in the vicinity, was diverted when the agency received a message from the Coast Guard police station at Azhikode and it rescued all five fishermen on board.  

The boat Tiyamol, which ventured out to sea on August 1, capsized off Chettuva and the same Coast Guard vessel, Arnvesh, commanded by Commandant (JG) Niloy Ghosh, proceeded to the area to look for the fishermen. While four fishers on the vessel were rescued by local fishing boats, two persons are still missing. An aerial search was launched to look for the missing fishermen.  

In another incident, the Coast Guard said it provided assistance to fishing boats Vadakkethoppil and John Bernice, which reported engine failure off the Alappuzha coast. While the Coast Guard ship Saksham, an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) commanded by DIG P. Rajesh, rendered them assistance, the boats’ crew were unwilling to abandon the boats. The Coast Guard said it was trying to get the boats safely to the shore even as the sea remains “very rough”. Another OPV Samar was also sent to the area to keep a watch on the developments.