Kavaratti: A young Keralite fisherman who was stranded in sea for over two weeks after he fell ill has been rescued in a coordinated action by the Fisheries department of the Lakshadweep Administration, Coast Guard and Police on Thursday.
Akhil, 22, alias Rahul Joseph, has been admitted to the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kavaratti and is expected to be airlifted to Kochi for better treatment soon. He remained on the fishing boat without treatment for 15 days until he was rescued the other day.
Officials said the patient needs to be shifted to an improved medical facility on the Indian mainland.
Unwell for a while
Akhil fell ill onboard a Tamil Nadu fishing vessel, Mazhai Malai Matha, on November 24 while it was around 50 nautical miles (NM) off the Lakshadweep coast, officials said on Friday. (1 nautical mile/NM = 1.85 km.)
Akhil has been suffering from some ailments for a while but he chose to go for fishing along with a team, comprising his brother, 40 days ago due to financial constraints, his relatives told Manoramaonline.
They said he was stable when the team started the trip from Thiruvananthapuram. Preliminary tests have found that he is suffering from some kidney-related problems.
The rescue
Jafer Hisham, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Lakshadweep, told Manoramaonline that Akhil was in a critical condition when he was rescued. His condition has improved since then.
When Akhil fell ill, other fishermen onboard the vessel had contacted fishing boats in the vicinity through Very High Frequency (VHF) wireless communication system, but to no avail. When the condition of the fisherman became serious two days ago, they requested a boat nearby through VHF radio to inform the boat owner and seek assistance through the fisheries department, Lakshadweep officials said.
When the Lakshadweep fisheries department officials received a message from their counterparts in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Coast Guard District Headquarters in the islands was intimated and a ship was despatched for search and rescue (SAR) operation.
The ICG ship sighted the fishing vessel around 14 NM South West of Suheli Island. Akhil and his brother Prakash embarked on the ship and sailed to Kavaratti.
Akhil's sister-in-law Reshma said he had sought treatment from different hospitals earlier. His brother had informed her that they were trying to get back to Thiruvananthapuram as Akhil needed emergency medical care.
Jafer Hisham, Assistant Director of Fisheries; Hidayathulla, Fisheries Inspector; Ameer Bin Mohammed, Sub Inspector of Police; and Sulfikar Ali and Abdul Shukoor of the Coastal Police Station, Kavaratti participated in the rescue operation along with the Indian Coast Guard officials.
(With inputs from Siby Nilambur)
