TV crew flirts with danger, fisherman gets washed away

A private news channel crew allegedly ventured into the sea without permission on Wednesday to record the oil spill combat operations following the collision of two merchant navy ships last week. Dhanraj Rathod, a 20-year-old fisherman accompanying the crew, is feared drowned after he fell off the trawler and got washed away. A search operation was immediately launched, but had to be stopped in the evening due to bad light.

Coast guard officials and the Yellow Gate police said the television crew, comprising two reporters, a camera person and a helper, hired a fishing trawler from Sassoon Dock and sailed towards Elephanta Island, close to the spot where MSC Chitra collided with MV Khalijia III. The police said Rathod slipped out of the boat possibly due to the choppy waters.

Though he knew swimming, it is suspected that the turbulent sea may have dragged him far away. The water in that particular region is worst affected due to the oil spill and the toxins may have made Rathod unconscious.

“The incident took place around 1.5 to 1.75 nautical miles from the coast. The tidal movement in that region has been high since the past few days,” a maritime rescue and coordination centre (MRCC) official said. “It is very unsafe for small vessels, trawlers and boats to sail at a distance of three to four nautical miles from the coast.”

Khalid Kaiser, deputy commissioner of police, port zone, said, “It has been found that the television channel crew did not take permission for sailing in the sea. We have registered a missing complaint and the search operation will continue on Thursday. We will also check if the trawler was carrying the required safety equipment. If not, action will be taken.”

“Rathod fell of the trawler as it got caught in the high tide. The MRCC was alerted about the incident and a rescue operation was immediately launched with the help of other agencies. Rathod could not be found till Wednesday evening,” the MRCC official said. The coast guard issued an advisory asking media personnel not to venture into the sea since operations to combat the oil spill are still on.