17 Indian sailors rescued off Bahrain coast

DUBAI: Bahrain coast guard rescued 17 Indian sailors, all from Gujarat, from the choppy seas by fighting 10-foot-high waves and strong winds.

The sailors had spent several hours in a raft before being saved by the helicopter team. The 35-metre Indian boat Siddnath was shipping 485 tonnes of rice from the UAE to Iraq when it was engulfed by waves early morning on Friday, the Gulf Daily News said.

The sailors radioed for help after their boat capsized north-east of Bahrain.They were brought to Police Fort, Manama, and then taken to Salmaniya Medical Complex for check-ups.

The 17 sailors, including their captain Yousef Hussein, are now being housed at the Coastguard headquarters, Sitra, Bahrain until arrangements are made to send them back to India.

The Indian Embassy, in co-operation with the Indian Community ReliefFund, supplied clothing and other essentials to the 17 crewmen, the newspaper reported.