Two Indian Coast Guard hovercrafts on Monday morning rescued 511 passengers, mostly Ganga Sagar pilgrims, from a couple of ferries that ran aground near Kakdwip, in South 24-Parganas, on Sunday night.
The ferries were on their way to the mainland from the Sagar Island when they ran aground during low tide and amid dense fog.
A senior officer of the Coast Guard said they received a distress call from the South 24-Parganas district magistrate’s office that two ferries, packed with Ganga Sagar pilgrims, had got stranded near Kakdwip.
“The message was received at the Indian Coast Guard district headquarters No. 8 (Haldia),” the officer said.
The vessels that ran aground, he said, were MV Lcchamati and MV Agramati. The alert and the coordinates of the stranded ferries were relayed to two hovercrafts stationed in Haldia and Fraserganj.
Once the hovercrafts reached the spot, Coast Guard personnel boarded the stranded vessels and explained the evacuation process to the passengers.
“They also asked whether anybody needed any medical assistance. No one on board the vessels was injured,” the officer said.
The Coast Guard personnel started transferring the passengers to the hovercrafts around 10am on Monday. By 1pm, all 511 were transported to Kakdwip.
“We provided all those on board the stranded vessels with snacks and tea and had medical teams on standby to respond to any emergency situation,” the officer said. Lakhs of people from across the country gather on the Sagar Island every year on Makar Sakranti to take a dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.
The Indian Coast Guard deployed ships and hovercrafts at various locations to ensure the safety and security of the pilgrims.
Two hovercrafts carried out extensive shallow-water patrols.
Besides this, seaward surveillance was also undertaken by aircraft and ships. A lifesaving team of divers was also on standby.