Coast Guard Rescues 322 passengers, 85 crew members trapped on the ‘MV Kavaratti’ off Lakshadweep

The MV Kavaratti cruise ship with more than 322 passengers and 85 crew ran aground off the coast of Lakshadweep

Kavaratti, Lakshadweep:

A ship with more than 322 passengers and 85 crew that ran aground off the coast of Lakshadweep a day ago was towed safely to Androth Island by a Coast Guard vessel and arrived there on Thursday morning.

The ship’s welfare officer – MV Kavaratti – told India’s Press Trust news agency that all passengers were unharmed and those forced to go to Androth were disembarked there.

The remaining passengers, who will be heading to other islands of the archipelago, will be transferred to MV Coral, which will take them to their respective destinations, welfare officer Sharshad said.

One of the passengers, Sameer Babu, a resident of Androth, told PTI news agency that there was no rear support – such as food and water – from Lakshadweep authorities or the mainland while the ship ran aground on the sea for more than six o’clock on Wednesday.

Mr Babu, who was returning home from Kochi on board, said the ship’s crew were the ones who took care of passengers’ needs such as food and water and “they are our true heroes”.

Sources told the Press Trust of India the passenger ship ran aground in the open sea about 16 nautical miles from Kavaratti on Wednesday after a fire broke out in its engine room and its engines had to be turned off. when extinguishing the fire.

Sources said the ship was en route to Androth from Kavaratti, where it had arrived on Monday from Kochi with more than 600 passengers, when the incident occurred.

By Thursday morning, the ship that ran aground was towed to port by the Coast Guard vessel Samarth.

(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)