It was a scene right out of a movie, when a six-member team of the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TRNFRS) marine commandos swam into the sea and rescued four fishermen who fell into the water after their boat capsized, on Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday morning, four fishermen Arumugam, 60, Jayaseelan, 30, Madhan, 25 along with Mahendran,45, the owner of the boat, went into the sea for fishing. As they were returning around 8 a.m., they waited for a rip current to move away. However at this juncture, a peice of cloth got caught in the boat’s propeller. All of a sudden, the nose of the boat tipped and strong waves toppled the boat over.
Marine Commandos Loganathan and Sandhana Sekhar, who were patrolling the shore, saw this and blew the whistle to alert their team mates -- Gunasekara Pandian, M. Jeevanandam, P. ISakki Raj and M. Mohamed Firdouse -- who were at the Marine Beach Rescue outpost on the shore.
“The wetsuit-clad commandos swam into the sea with life buoys and jackets and rescued the fishermen. All of them were caught in the net, and after much struggles, they brought them back to safety. A. Satish Kumar, owner of SUP Marina, a paddling club, and its member Dhanush, also joined in the rescue efforts,” said a senior TNFRS officer. Arumugam and Jayaseelan were injured badly and have been rushed to the hospital.
“Last week we rescued a dolphin that washed ashore just opposite our outpost. We took it back to the sea. It was a unique experience,” said a commando team member.
Following the inauguration of the TNFRS Marina Beach rescue station last year, a rescue outpost was also set up on the shores of the beach recently. “We can save many people from drowning. We have been provided All Terrain Vehicles and Jet Skis. Our team members are trained in kayaking, swimming and paddling, among other water rescue methods,” said Priya Ravichandran, Joint Director of the TNFRS.
