Stranded TN fishermen rescued from coastal Andhra Pradesh

Chennai: Nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu, stranded after the boat in which they were travelling suffered a technical snag, were rescued in an air-sea coordinated mission, the Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

The fishermen who set out to sea on March 13 were drifting about 95 nautical miles off Andhra Pradesh coast since March 25 after the main engine on the boat suffered the snag, an official release said here. An ICG aircraft located the fishermen and alerted the Coast Guard ship 'Priyadarshini' which was patrolling in the area for immediate assistance.

The team in the ICG ship provided technical support, rectified the issue and made the boat operational. All the nine fishermen were healthy and the boat was escorted near the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Noting that the incident highlights the disadvantages of fishing alone, the Coast Guard appealed to the fishermen to take up fishing in groups, carry adequate life-saving appliances and communication equipment on-board.