The coast guard in the Indian Ocean rescued a group of 20 Bangladeshi fishermen who were stranded at mid-sea following the post-landfall of Cyclone Sitrang on Tuesday.
Fishermen will be handed over to Bangladesh in accordance with the existing MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the two countries, the Indian Coast Guard tweeted.
The Indian Coast Guard dispatched its Dornier aircraft after the landfall to search for any ships that might have become trapped at sea.
During a surveillance sortie, the aircraft spotted around 20 persons in the water, about 90 nautical miles (166km) from Sagar Island in West Bengal, near the Indo-Bangladesh International Maritime Border Line, reports NDTV.
They were clinging to floats and debris from their sunken boats that had capsized due to the cyclone. In a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the aircraft dropped a life raft into the water and remained in the area till all survivors were on board.
The aircraft also alerted a merchant ship 'Nanta Bhum' which was on its way from Port Klang in Malaysia to Kolkata and was sailing nearby. The vessel was asked to ferry the fishermen to Indian Coast Guard Ships Vijaya, Varad, and C-426 and look for more survivors.
The fishermen were brought aboard Vijaya and given medical treatment. They will now be handed over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard in accordance with existing norms.
After the landfall in Bangladesh, moderate to heavy rain and storms were reported in parts of northeast India, particularly in Tripura, Meghalaya, eastern Meghalaya, Assam, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Cyclone Sitrang first weakened to a depression before a low-pressure area formed over Bangladesh and Meghalaya.
