The Coast Guard Saturday saved the lives of six crew members of MSV Safina-Al-Mirzal, which sank mid-sea at about 30 nautical miles west of Kasaragod, Kerala. The dhow reportedly sunk due to flooding of its engine room.

Coast Guard Dornier 773 was on a routine MR sortie when they picked up a distress call at 11:35 am from MSV Safina-Al-Mirzal. After a 30-minute search, CG Dornier 773 sighted a debris and the six crew members, who were floating in the water. After analysing the sea conditions, CG Dornier dropped the life raft mid-air.

In a swift sea-air coordinated operation #ICG Dornier aircraft and Fast Interceptor Boat C-448 rescued 06 crew of MSV Safina-Al-Mirzal. Dhow reported sunk due to flooding 30 NM west of Kasaragod #Kerala. All 06 Crew reported healthy and safely brought to New Mangalore harbour. pic.twitter.com/0haSv3JpGG

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) March 20, 2021

The Coast Guard Karnataka, in a swift action based on inputs received from CG Dornier, deployed a Fast Interceptor Boat C-448 for a search and rescue mission. The C-448 reached the site in less than one hour and rescued all the six crew members in proper health condition.

The six-member crew was taken to Mangalore harbour. Among the crew members, one was from Mangalore and the rest were from Gujarat.

The C-448 reached the site in less than one hour and rescued all the six crew members in a proper healthy condition. (Defence PRO, Bengaluru)

After an initial assessment by the rescue team, it was revealed that seepage of seawater into the boat’s engine room led to the sinking of the dhow.

MSV Safina-Al-Mirzal had sailed from the Old Mangalore Port on March 19 at 4:30 pm carrying 120 tons of spices, food grains, vegetables, sand and granite.