Navy rescues stranded fishermen

Sri Lanka Navy rescued three stranded fishermen, 195 nautical miles east of Trincomalee on October 13 midnight.

The fishermen were in a highly dehydrated state were later transferred to the Trincomalee Base Hospital after initial medical treatment by the Navy medical personnel.

Sri Lanka Navy, after being informed by the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the fishing boat in distress, dispatched two Fast Attack Craft (FACs) with a medical team on board for the rescue mission.

The 18.5-feet-long fishing boat, bearing the Registration Number OFRP-A-1228-TCO, had left for fishing from Thirikkadurulle, Trincomalee with three fishermen on board. It had developed engine trouble in mid-sea and consequently had started to drift.

When the Navy rescued the boat, the fishing crew were dehydrated due to lack of water and food for days while drifting in the high seas.

The Navy medical personnel provided them with emergency medical treatment and the fishermen, V.M. Ananda Raja, M. Nishanthan and Subramanium, were rushed ashore for further medical treatment. After the initial medical treatment at the Navy Hospital in Trincomalee, the patients were transferred to the Trincomalee Government Hospital.

Sri Lanka Navy performs a multi-faceted role being the first-line of defence of the island. Fishery protection and providing assistance to fishermen in distress are among its numerous tasks and Naval ships and craft are dispatched accordingly on rescue and search operations in deep seas.