Ships feared sunk off Okha

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Thursday started rescue operation for three ships with over 40 crew members on board, stranded 20 nautical miles off the Okha coast due to rough weather in the Arabian sea. Two of the ships feared to have sunk.

According to ICG sources, a team of coast guards had been sent in to rescue the crew. A helicopter from Porbander had also been dispatched to help in rescue operation, they added.

The 250-ton capacity ship 'Khawaja-E-Karam', which had gone to gulf in August, was returning with 12 crew members while 'Al Safina Al Husain', another carrier ship with a similar capacity, was also returning with 11 crew members. The ICG reportedly saved 11 crew members from both the ships while the rescue operation for others was going on in the evening.

Both the ships were reportedly sunken in the waters of the sea, sources say. The bad storm in Arabian sea reportedly affected the engines of the ships and they could not navigate. The third carrier ship, 'Ratnadip', also was in problem as it lost contacts. But later, communication was re-established and the ship was safe, sources said.