The Coast Guard Eastern region today displayed its prowess in the Bay of Bengal with an hovercraft adding to the attraction.
Indian Coast Guard's Dornier aircraft and Chetak helicopters demonstrated the ability to pick up a survivor at sea within seconds as part of the "Day at Sea" organised by Coast Guard Eastern Region, an official release said.
Seven ships - Sarang, Sagar, Samudra Paheredar, Vishwast, Rajtarang, Rajkamal and Rajshree - displayed their prowess with the hovercraft or the Air Cushion Vessel being an added attraction this year.
On the occasion, Indian Coast Guard Regional Commander Satya Prakash Sharma took the salute aboard the flagship Sarang, it said.
"The Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft demonstrated the rescue capability by dropping a life raft from air for the survivors to get in, till help arrives", it said.
The Coast Guard has so far apprehended 308 Sri Lankan crew in 59 boats during "anti-poaching" operations, it said.
Search and rescue missions were undertaken in the Eastern region saving 193 lives. The region also repatriated 22 Sri Lankan boats with 105 crew in exchange of 38 boats along with 391 Indian crew from Sri Lanka till date, the release added.
The Indian Coast Guard was established on February one, 1977 and was constituted as an armed force with enactment of Coast Guard Act 1978 on August 18, 1978.
