Gujarat Marine Police has rescued 17 sailors from two sinking Yemeni ships near the Pipavav port on the Amreli Coast.
The accident happened on Saturday early morning when one of the Yemeni-flagged ships, named 'Amanna', ran around towing another ship named 'Abdullah'.
One of the crew members managed to send out an emergency message to the local coast guard, which led to a three-hour long rescue operation.
"The moment we got the message, officials from the Pipavav Coast Guard responded to the call and all 17 sailors were saved," said Deputy Superintendent of the Coast Guard, Rajesh Parmar.
The onboard crew members thanked the coast guard for conducting a responsive and successful rescue operation.
"In the morning at 8.45 our ship ran aground after hitting a rock. Gujarat police rescued six people from the Yemeni ship 'Amanna' and later they rescued us from 'Abdullah' as it had also sunk because we didn't have any fuel to go ahead. We are grateful to the coast guard that they rescued us by risking their lives," said a Pakistani sailor.
Of the 17 sailors, ten were from Pakistan, five from Yemen, one from Iraqi and one from India.
