Six crew members of a cargo vessel, named MSV Salamat, which sank in the early hours of May 14 off the coast of Surathkal, Karnataka, were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), officials said.
The crew members identified as Ismail Shareef, Alemun Ahmed Bhai Ghavda, Kakal Suleman Ismail, Akbar Abdul Surani, Kasam Ismail Mepani, and Azmal were rescued approximately 60-70 nautical miles southwest of Mangalore from a small dinghy.
“At 1215hrs on 14 May, ICG received a distress alert from MT Epic Susui, a transiting vessel, reporting the sighting of a small boat adrift with six survivors onboard, approximately 52 nautical miles off the coast of Surathkal, Karnataka,” an official press release said.
As this happened, ICG Ship Vikram, which was on routine patrol in the area, was immediately diverted to the location, after which the coast guard team located and rescued all six survivors from the dinghy that became their lifeline after the cargo vessel sank.
“Preliminary reports indicates that MSV SALAMATH, which departed Mangalore Port on May 12, en route to Kadmat Island in Lakshadweep, began flooding at 5:30 AM on May 14, leading to its eventual sinking. The vessel was carrying a mixed cargo of cement and construction materials. The exact cause of flooding remains unknown,” the release read.
The survivors were administered first aid and transported to New Mangalore Port on May 15. The local authorities were conducting further interviews with the rescued crew members to ascertain the reason behind the sinking of the cargo vessel.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani citizen who arrived at Karnataka’s Karwar Port aboard the cargo vessel MT R Ocean was denied entry into India by port authorities, said the Indian Coast Guard.
The ship, which was carrying bitumen from Iraq, docked on May 12 with 14 Indian crew members, two Syrians, and one Pakistani national on board.
The captain of the ship was also an Indian. Police Inspector Nischal Kumar had instructed that Pakistani and Syrian nationals should not disembark from the ship due to the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and India, said authorities.