Injured Filipino evacuated from merchant vessel off Gujarat coast by Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard Ship Ankit undertook a medical evacuation from the Arabian Sea and was safely brought to Porbandar and shifted to Government Hospital at Porbandar and then to Rajkot.

Ahmedabad:A 57-year-old citizen of the Philippines has been evacuated by the Indian Coast Guard from a merchant vessel at the Arabian sea off Gujarat coast and hospitalised after he fell unconscious on suffering severe head injuries, the ICG said. The patient was first shifted to a government hospital in Porbandar city and later taken to another state-run medical facility in Rajkot for further treatment, it said.

The medical evacuation was undertaken on Monday from the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel (MV) Irenes Ray, which was on passage from Sri Lanka to Pakistan, the ICG said in a release on Tuesday. "ICG ship Ankit undertook medical evacuation of a foreign national from the Arabian sea around 200 km off the Porbandar coast on Monday. The patient was safely brought to Porbandar and shifted to a government hospital at Porbandar, and then to Rajkot," it said.

The ICG Maritime Rescue Sub Centre at Porbandar received a distress alert at around 4.30 pm on Monday about a medical emergency onboard the merchant vessel, said the release. As soon as the distress signal was received, the ICG fast patrol ship Ankit was rushed and it made a rendezvous with the MV at 7.20 pm, it said.

"A 57-year-old Philippines national was found to have suffered severe head injuries onboard the vessel and was unconscious," said the ICG. "The patient was evacuated and taken onboard an ICG ship. Immediate medical relief was provided at sea by an ICG medical team. The ship along with the patient entered Porbandar harbour at 11 pm," said the release. (PTI)