Coast Guard Rescued 27 members

Karnataka, June 5: 27 members aboard the Barge Ship that was sinking in the Arabian sea off Ullal coast were rescued by The Indian Coastal Guards, here on Sunday.

According to Official sources, 'The Coastal Guards had rescued four persons on June 3rd and the remaining 23 persons in the morning on June 4th. It was earlier reported that 33 persons were in the barge ship.

Sources said, 'A lifeboat was used to rescue the stranded men instead of the earlier plan to use a helicopter to airlift them. The rescue operation, which had been halted due to rough seas last night resumed at 7 am.'



The barge ship carrying 27 workers engaged in the work of sea erosion project dashed into rocks laid on reefs and started sinking after its anchor broke. Two other anchors of the barge had already broken earlier but the company had reportedly not responded to the problem despite being informed.

The rescue operations had to be aborted on Saturday night due to bad weather and light conditions, Souces said.

At 4:45 pm the Coast Guard Karnataka received a telephonic message regarding flooding in the barge on Saturday. The sources added that 'ICGS Amartya had been maintaining its position in the area with continuous communication with Barge Ibis since the incident occurred.'