Twelve fishermen, who were marooned for two days off Sagar Island in West Bengal, were rescued by a Coast Guard team, officials said today.
During its routine sortie yesterday, Coast Guard ship Anmol, which is based at Haldia, found a fishing boat at 50 nautical miles from Sagar lighthouse.
The boat, based at Nandigram, had ventured into the sea on July 29 and had soon developed a snag.
With no propulsion and power supply, the crew was stranded for two days in mid-sea, officials said.
The Coast Guard sent a team of technical sailors to rectify the defect on board the stranded fishing boat, but the engine could not be started. After that they towed the fishing boat till Sagar anchorage and handed it over to the boat owner, officials said.
With prevailing monsoons and rough sea conditions, there has been a rise in distress alerts from fishing boats at sea, officials said, adding they have increased patrolling to ensure every mariner is safe at sea.
