Two Naval divers were rescued in the wee hours of Sunday, after a high drama that saw them survive 12 hours in the Arabian Sea in complete darkness while valiantly trying to rescue a fisherman who was among three fishermen that had gone missing and was at one stage seen adrift in water on Saturday.
The two Naval divers, identified as Bipin Dahal and Ganshyam Patidhar, were recovered in the morning by fishing vessel Ram Dutt Sai. On reaching Mumbai, the two divers were shifted to Navy Hospital INHS Asvini. “They have been kept under observation. They are medically fit and in high spirits,” a Defence spokesperson said.
The two Naval divers’ battle for survival happened, after the Navy personnel rescued 14 fishermen and launched the search for three more fishermen sailing in a boat that sank amid inclement weather and choppy Arabian Sea, nearly 30 nautical miles off Mumbai on Saturday evening. The Naval divers displayed bravery after offering to rescue one of the fishermen who had been seen adrift in water.
“During the Search and Rescue Operation to locate three missing fishermen, INS Trishul located one of the fishermen adrift in water. Efforts were made to recover this fisherman by all means such as by boat and ships ladder, however, he could not be recovered due to bad weather, heavy swell and hesitation of the fisherman in approaching the ship,” the Defence spokesperson said.
“Despite heavy swell of over 3 metres and adverse weather conditions, two Indian Navy divers Bipin Dahal and Ganshyam Patidhar volunteered to rescue the fisherman by a procedure called recovery by free swimmers,” the spokesperson said.
In their valiant effort to approach the fisherman the line (rope) between the divers and the ship parted and they were set adrift. The divers could not thereafter be sighted by the ship due to bad weather and low light conditions.
“The divers continued to search for the fisherman, however, due to poor light he could not be sighted. The two divers by their sheer grit and determination survived 12 hours in complete darkness and were recovered in the morning by fishing vessel Ram Dutt Sai. On reaching Mumbai the two divers have been shifted to INHS Asvini and kept under observation,” the spokesperson said.
Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Girish luthra visited the two naval divers at INHS and complimented them for “their bravery and actions in keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy of protecting our nation and countrymen, risking their own lives in extreme weather conditions to rescue a fisherman found at sea”.
In a related development, the Navy brought back the 14 fishermen whom they had rescued on Saturday and handed them back their families.
Meanwhile, the fisherman who had been located adrift in water is feared dead, while there is still no news about the whereabouts of two other missing fishermen.