10 fisherfolk rescued from sinking trawler

In a midnight operation, Yellow Gate police saved crew of Wagheshwari, which collided with a rock near Butcher Island and started going under

The police rescued nine fishermen and a tandel (driver) from a sinking trawler caught in a dense fog near Butcher Island in a midnight operation on Thursday.


Mumbai police boats Sharvari, Bheema and Mumbai V were pressed
into service to salvage the crew caught in the deep seas off Bhaucha Dhakka

According to the Yellow Gate police, they got a call from the fishing trawler, Wagheshwari, around 20 hours on Thursday informing them that water had started entering the vessel near the island (Jawahar Dweep), Jetty II.

Wagheshwari was on its way to Morgaon after offloading oil at the island. But it had collided with a rock due to the thick mist in the area which had reduced the visibility.

"Water had started entering the trawler and around 10 people including the tandel were on the boat. The trawler was about 2 km away from Bhaucha Dhakka in the deep seas," said a police officer from Yellow Gate police station.

Immediately, Mumbai police boats Sharvari, Bheema and Mumbai V, which were purchased after 26/11 attacks to secure the sea, went into action with police sub-inspector Sunil Nandre and Rahul Sarode on it.
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The police officers managed to send a small fibre dinghy towards Wagheshwari to rescue the 10 people. They were brought to Bhaucha Dhakka and after their statements were recorded, they were released.

"Wagheshwari is still stuck in the waters. Earlier as well, a fishing trawler had met with an accident at the same spot and sank but some of its parts were still afloat.

Due to fog, Wagheshwari could not see anything and first knocked a big rock and then the old fishing trawler that sank.
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As the water level increased it started entering the boat. That's when they called their owner Hirabai Solanki in Navsari, Gujarat for help and he called us and we saved them," said a police officer from Yellow Gate police station. All the people who were rescued are residents of Navsari, Gujarat.