7 fishermen rescued, 1 missing after trawler collides with ship near Okha coast

Officials said that seven of the eight individuals on board were rescued by the crew of another fishing vessel – Al Madad, while the search for one missing person was on

A fishing trawler collided with a ship off the Okha coast in Dev Bhoomi Dwarka district in Gujarat in the early hours of Thursday morning, leading to the destruction of the fishing boat - Faizal Mustafa, officials said.

Seven of the eight fishermen on board the trawler were rescued by the crew of another fishing vessel – Al Madad (HT Photo)

Officials said that seven of the eight fishermen on board the trawler were rescued by the crew of another fishing vessel – Al Madad, while the search for one missing person was on.

“The incident took place around 4-4:30am (on Thursday). Seven crew members have been successfully saved, while the search continues for the one remaining fisherman. The Indian Coast Guard has deployed a boat, and an aerial survey is underway with the assistance of a chopper,” said Ashok Sharma, collector, Dev Bhoomi Dwarka district.

Sharma said the identity of the vessel with which the fishing boat collided is not known yet and an investigation is on to find out more details of the incident.

The missing crew member has been identified as Bandari Akbar Abu, said an official aware to the matter.

“The other seven crew members are now seeking refuge on board Al Madad. The distressed crew members were fortunate enough to be rescued by Al Madad, which happened to be nearby at the time of the accident,” the official added.