Coast Guard rescues eight fishermen off Porbandar coast in Gujarat

The Coast Guard Sunday rescued eight fishermen off Porbandar coast in Gujarat following a distress call from them after their trawler was flooded. A Coast Guard release said its ship received a distress call late Saturday night from the Indian fishing boat "Prabhu Sagar", with eight crew members on board.

Coast Guard Ship C-445 reached the flooded boat in two hours and started rescue operations, it said. "Braving the rough sea and darkness, the ICG ship started de-flooding the boat by using submersible pumps.

However, due to rough sea conditions, one wooden plank of the hull broke and the boat sank and the crew jumped into water," it said. The eight were saved and taken on board ICG C-445 safely and brought to Porbandar harbour early Sunday morning, it informed.