Eleven fishermen were rescued from a sinking trawler off the Kerala coast in a six-hour operation by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) team from Goa, an official statement said Monday.
The statement said that a distress signal was picked up from trawler 'Arbude Matha' early Saturday and a ship and helicopter rushed to the location, around 20 nautical miles off Kochi.
"Despite prevailing inhospitable weather conditions, Indian Coast Guard helicopter and ship C-134 were tasked to take over the rescued fishermen. Strong showers along with heavy swell, winds gusting up to 35 km per hour and poor visibility hampered the progress of the operation," the statement said.