Coast Guard search for missing sailor of Eritrea ship futile

Mangalore, June 24 (UNI) Search operations launched by the Coast Guard and the district administration to locate the missing person of the Eritrea registered South African ship that ran aground and capsized at Tannirbavi near here proved futile for the second day today.

Despite search operation by the Coast Guard ship +Varuna+ and a helicopter which had come from Cochin, the missing person could not be traced today.

The ship carrying 8000 tones of furnace slag to UAE tilted on its side after running aground due to gusty winds and menacing tidal waves even as South-west monsoon wrecked havoc over Dakshina Kannada and many parts of Karnataka since last two days. Out of the 24 people on board, 21 reached shore safely, two died and another went missing.

Commandant Manoj Badkar, Commandant of the Coast Guard, Mangalore told UNI here today that a helicopter from Cochin had also been pressed into search operation to locate the missing person. Both the helicopter and the ship from Cochin would resume the search tomorrow.

He said that as soon as the message of running aground of ill-fated +Den Den+ near Tannirbavi beach near the New Mangalore Port yesterday, the Coast Guard was pressed into action. It could not approach the vessel due to gusty wind the rescue team contacted the Captain of the vessel on wireless.

The Captain of the ship even after sending the SOS however, went on rejecting help from the coast guard replying that the technical snag developed in the ship which forced to anchor near the shore would be rectified by themselves. Even the technical officer of the ship was also rejected the help offered by the coast guard, he said.

Mr. Badkar said that when the ship was starting tilting to sink, at around 1400 hrs yesterday 12 crew members immediately jumped into sea with life jackets who were rescued by the coast guard team.

He complemented particularly the local fishermen who joined in the rescue operation. Later others jumped into the sea at around 1545 hrs when the ship capsized, they were brought to the shore by the crew members of the coast guard, he added.

(ED: pickup suitably from BG 5) UNI