The Indian Navy and Coast Guard rescued 14 crew members of a distressed merchant vessel that later sank, 15 km off the coast of Daman on Wednesday morning.
All 14 on board cement carrier MV Coastal Pride were safely evacuated by helicopters to Umargaon beach in Gujarat.
Sailing towards Mumbai, the vessel began to “slowly tilt and roll vigorously” due to inclement weather, 150 km north of Mumbai coast and 15 km from the coast of Daman, a defence spokesperson said. The Coast Guard received the distress call at around 7 a.m. Considering the difficult conditions, the captain of the vessel requested evacuation.
Swiftly responding to the SOS, the Coast Guard sent a Chetak helicopter from its base in Daman at around 7.40 a.m. Around the same time, a Sea King helicopter was also dispatched from the Naval base in Mumbai.
Fighting strong winds, rough sea and incessant rain, the Chetak initially winched up six survivors in two trips and dropped them at Umargaon. However, while the helicopter was returning for its third trip, the ship sank. The remaining eight survivors were then rescued from the waters — the Sea King winched up six, while the Chetak saved the other two.
Trouble for the vessel had begun on Monday when it reported technical problems. It was being constantly monitored by the Navy and the Coast Guard. On Tuesday, when the “vessel lost all its machinery it was directed to drop anchor,” the spokesperson said.
