Coast Guard chopper saves 7 crew members of sinking vessel

Seven crew members of a cargo vessel which was sinking near Andaman and Nicobar Islands were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter today, officials said.
Due to bad weather and rough sea, water started flooding the engine room of mechanised sailing vessel Safina Al Ghelani, after which it sent out a distress call to the Coast Guard this morning.
A Coast Guard chopper located the vessel near North Brother Island, 40 nautical miles from here, and found it damaged badly and submerged but it managed to rescue all the seven crew members, officials said.
Three of the rescued crew landed on a Coast Guard ship from the spot while four others were brought directly to Port Blair in the swift sea-air coordinated operation.

Officials said they could take timely action because a distress alert was sent by the crew using Distress Alert Transmitter, an indigenously developed low-cost equipment which relays distress calls from small vessels to Coast Guard.