Three Sri Lankan Tamils, including a two-year-old girl, were rescued from a stranded boat off Kodiakarai coast by fishermen of Nagapattinam on Saturday.
Fishermen of Akkaraipettai, who ventured into the sea in a boat, saw them struggling for life at mid-sea before they went on to rescue them.
The Sri Lankans, said to be from Vavuniya, were identified as Dushyant (27), Dwaraka (24) and Kakitha (2).
Starving for days
They had been reportedly starving for a few days till the fishermen spotted them and subsequently brought them ashore to Nagapattinam on Saturday night. Commandant S.M. Patnaik, Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Station, Karaikal, told The Hindu that there was no information on how their boat got stranded in the Indian waters.
The three Sri Lankans from Vavuniya were provided with first aid and food and subsequently sent to a hospital for medical check up.
Asked whether they were heading for Australia, he said it could not be ruled out.
However, it would be ascertained only after a detailed enquiry.
