Mumbai: Indian Navy has deployed its surface and air assets to augment the Search and Rescue (SAR) of missing fishermen at sea off the Mangalore coast. Indian Fishing Boat IFB Rabah with 14 fishermen had suffered a collision with a Singapore flag merchant ship MV APL Le Havre about 40 nautical miles west of New Mangalore at about 2 pm on April 13. Two fishermen have been rescued till now, while bodies of three others have been recovered. The search for the remaining nine fishermen is still underway, said Indian navy spokesperson.
Indian naval ships Tillanchang and Kalpeni along with naval aircraft from the naval base in Goa were deployed in the area to augment the search and rescue efforts of Coast Guard vessels.
To further assist the rescue efforts INS Subhadra, a patrol vessel, was sailed from Karwar with a Diving Team embarked. The ship arrived on scene in the early hours of 14 April 21. Two specialist diving teams are undertaking snagline search in the area in an effort to locate the sunk fishing craft, added the spokesperson