Indian Coast Guard rescues 16 Bangladeshi fishermen
The Indian Coast Guard on Saturday rescued 16 Bangladeshi fishermen whose fishing boat was sinking due to a technical snag in the Bay of Bengal.
The Coast Guard ship 'Sucheta Kripalani', during a routine patrol off the eastern Indian coast of Odisha, sighted a Bangladeshi fishing boat approximately 35 nautical miles east of Paradip port, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
The ship immediately launched its boarding team to investigate, a Coast Guard officer said.
"The master and crew of the vessel on preliminary investigation reported that the vessel, after having sailed on November 2 from Patuakhali district of Bangladesh, developed a technical snag in its propeller shaft during cyclonic weather and had been drifting since November 3," the official said.
The crew was provided necessary medical assistance and food by the Coast Guard ship and subsequently, the boat was towed to Paradip anchorage for further investigation, he said.
"A joint interrogation was conducted by Coast Guard, Immigration department, SIB and Marine Police officials at sea to ascertain the credentials of the crew as well as the genuineness of the reported defect. Once found innocent, the boat was provided with technical expertise by the Coast Guard and broken propeller shaft of the boat was repaired," he said.
The Coast Guard is at present escorting the Bangladeshi fishing boat along with its 16 crew to International Maritime Border with Bangladesh for repatriation.
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