Five boats sink near Ratnagiri , 26 rescued

Due to bad weather, five fishing boats which had entered the Arabian sea near Ratnagiri capsized and a rescue operation was conducted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday.

Twenty six fishermen on-board were rescued while three persons are missing after the boats capsized in the Konkan belt. The ICG had kept a chopper on standby for further rescue operation.

Four fishermen boats capsized at Suvarnadurg Fort near Harnai in Arabian Sea of Konkan belt and one boat capsized at Burondi near Dapoli. Total of 29 fishermen were on-board and had ignored the warnings of other fishermen from the region. They had entered the sea for fishing during bad weather. The 20 meter long boats could not withstand heavy rainfall and wind following which they started drifting towards the creek.

Aslam Rajbhani, a local fishermen at Burondi informed the ICG, "Few of the fishermen had managed to swim towards the rocky patches near the creek while many were pulled out by the rescue teams," said Rajbhani.

A ICG spokesperson from Ratnagiri Control room, said, "We have asked the NDRF to be on standby and are continuing the search for three persons who are missing."

THE INCIDENT

• Four fishermen boats capsized at Suvarnadurg Fort near Harnai in Arabian Sea of Konkan belt and one boat capsized at Burondi near Dapoli. Total of 29 fishermen were on-board and had ignored the warnings of other fishermen from the region.
   
• 26 fishermen on-board were rescued while three persons are missing. The ICG kept a chopper on standby for further rescue operation.