The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday rescued 20 Bangladeshi fishermen near the Indo-Bangladesh Maritime Border Line.
Their boats had capsized and were left stranded mid-sea as Cyclone Sitrang made landfall.
The Coast Guard's Dornier aircraft was on a search operation to render assistance to mariners who might have been affected by the passage of the cyclone when it found 20 fishermen in the water, the India Today reports.
The survivors were clinging onto floats and debris from the sunken fishing boat. Coast Guard aircraft dropped liferaft in the vicinity and remained in the area till survivors embarked on the liferaft.
Additionally, the aircraft diverted merchant vessel Nanta Bhum to pick up 20 fishermen clinging onto life mid-sea.
Thereafter, ICG undertook two more air sorties to sanitise the entire area affected during the passage of the cyclone, to rule out any further incidents in the area.
Coast Guard ships Vijaya, Varad, and C-426 were diverted to augment search and rescue efforts and sanitise the area. The 20 Bangladeshi fishermen were subsequently taken to shore by the Coast Guard ship Vijaya.
The fishermen were checked by a medical officer onboard the ICG ship.
They will be handed over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Indian Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard.
