Four of the 27 stranded occupants of a barge that hit a reef in the Arabian Sea off Ullal coast were rescued on Saturday evening. The remaining may have to wait for daybreak to be rescued.
The rescue operations launched by the Indian Coast Guard had to be aborted owing to heavy rain and poor light, said Gulvinder Singh, Commandant, Coast Guard, Mangaluru.
The Coast Guard was apparently upset with the barge owner for having sent the vessel out to sea despite the monsoon warning. The fishing harbour too is closed, Mr. Singh said.
ICG Amartya sent a dinghy to the stranded barge and rescued four persons in the first attempt. But, the dinghy got damaged during the second rescue attempt, according to sources.
Two fishing vessels with swimming and rescue experts from Ullal have reportedly reached close to the barge, stranded about a km away from Ullal seashore.
The occupants of the barge were engaged in laying a reef to strengthen the seashore under the Asian Development Bank-funded Sustainable Coastal Protection Management and Investment Programme. They were returning after completing the day’s work when the rough seas caused the barge to hit the reef, said Gopal Nayak, Superintending Engineer, Ports.
The occupants immediately signalled an SOS to the concerned authorities and also sent out signal flares to indicate the location to the rescuers. Messages were flashed to the Mangaluru City Police, the Coast Guard, the Fire and Emergency Services, among others.
Hundreds of people gathered on the Ullal beach on the southern side of the Netravathi-Phalguni river mouth to watch the rescue operations.
The Mangaluru City Police have deployed personnel and the Home Guards personnel deployed an Aska Light, a portable emergency light, to help in rescue operations.
Deputy Commissioners of Police M. Shantharaju (Law and Order), Sanjeev M. Patil (Crime and Traffic), Assistant Commissioner of Police (South) N.S. Shruthi, and other senior officials coordinated the rescue operations.
