Fishermen rescue all 8 crew members of capsized cargo vessel from mid-sea off Lakshadweep

Mengaluru: A cargo vessel laden with construction materials that left from Mangaluru Old Port to Lakshadweep capsized enroute to Agatti island from Andrott island.

All eight crew members hailing from Tamil Nadu on board saved themselves by jumping into “Paathi” (small boat that they carry) using their life jackets. The crew kept drifting in water for three days without any food.

Fishermen from Kalpeni, who noticed the small boat seeking help, rushed to their aid and rescued them on March 18, said Abdul Lathif, Old Port Users Association Secretary to DH.

“The vessel named MSV Varadatharajan laden with gravel, M sand, cement and other construction materials had left from Mangaluru on March 12. After unloading half of the goods at Andrott island on March 13 night, the vessel was moving towards Agatti when the incident occurred. Technical snag was noticed in the engine of the vessel and water started gushing inside the vessel. Sensing danger, the crew informed the owner, who in turn informed Coast Guard and sought help. Later, all the eight members with the life jackets jumped into the small boat for saving their lives and could not be contacted since then,” he added.

The crew members on board were Captain Bhaskaran, crew members Nagalingam, Nallamuthu Gopal, Manidevan Velu, Vignesh, Ajith Kumar, S Kuppuraman, and M Murugan.

The fishermen who rescued them informed the Coast Guard, who in turn took all the crew members to Kochi on March 19 in their speed boat where the owner of the vessel too reached to take them to their native.

“If there is no wind, then a vessel from Mangaluru will take 22 hours to reach Lakshadweep. Due to inclement weather, a few of the vessels bound to Lakshadweep from Mangaluru Old Port have capsized in the past,” said Abdul Latheef.