Kendrapara: Six fishermen, who were stranded in mid-sea for over 24 hours, have been rescued by the Coast Guard in Odisha, an official of the maritime agency said.
The fishing vessel – Maa Ramchandi – carrying the fishermen had drifted along the sea waters Saturday after it developed technical snag and lost its sailing capacity.
A search and rescue operation was undertaken Sunday after Paradip fishing harbour personnel informed the Coast Guard about the missing fishermen, hailing from Kendrapara district.
The crew members and the vessel were sighted by a Coast Guard patrol vessel at about 17 nautical miles off Paradip coast Sunday, B Nath Mahato, Commandant Paradip Coast Guard, said.
The fishing vessel was drifting on the seawaters without direction, he said.
As the seawater was unsteady and wavering, the fishing vessel had failed to negotiate the rough sea condition, Mahato said.
The windy weather had also made things worse for the crew members, said the Coast Guard official.
After the rescue operation, the vessel was towed safely to Hukitola fishing harbour Sunday, he said.
