Indian Coast Guard rescues eight from sunken boat off Lakshadweep coast

The Indian Coast Guard said on Tuesday that it has successfully rescued eight persons from a ''sunken boat'' in the waters off the Lakshadweep coast.

According to a statement from a Defence PRO on social media, the boat experienced a technical malfunction while on a routine inter-island voyage from Agatti island to Androth.

This malfunction caused the boat to drift, remaining untraceable for a duration of three days.

''The @IndiaCoastGuard has successfully carried out the rescue operation of 08 survivors from the sunken boat #MSVVararthaRajan (CLR 192)'', the PRO said in a post on 'X'.

''As the boat had been overdue for over 72 hours, the #ICG promptly initiated an air-sea coordinated rescue operation on #18Mar24. With exceptional efficiency, all survivors of the sunken boat were swiftly located & safely rescued by the crew of #ICGSSaksham,'' it said.

The PRO further said following an initial medical examination, the eight persons are now being handed over to the fisheries department.