Two adrift fishermen rescued following collision off south-western India

The Indian Coast Guard successfully rescued two local fishermen who had ended up in the Laccadive Sea off the south-western state of Kerala after their boat collided with a foreign-flagged cargo vessel on Friday, October 22.

The castaways were crewmen on the fishing boat Sijumon-1, which was underway in the Laccadive Sea when it was struck by the Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier Navios Venus in the evening (local time) of Friday.

The coast guard patrol vessel ICGS Shaurya deployed to the area to render assistance.

Coast guard personnel later pulled the two fishermen out of the water. Both had suffered minor injuries from being thrown into the water due to the impact of the collision and were later brought to hospital.

No injuries have been reported among the remaining 15 crew of Sijumon-1, which was still able to sail under its own power despite the damage it sustained.

The coast guard said it provided escort for the fishing vessel as it sailed for Colachel and arrived there on the morning of Saturday, October 23.