As many as 138 voyagers, including 127 Bangladeshi nationals, were taken to safety from a sinking wooden vessel, the Sri Lankan Navy said on Sunday.
A post on its official website said that it took 20 hours for them to complete the rescue about 50 nautical miles off Oluwil coast on Saturday.
“All were brought to the Oluwil Fisheries Harbour and 06 of them, 04 males and 02 females, were rushed to the Akkaraipattu Base Hospital for treatment for acute dehydration.”
The rest of the people rescued were from Myanmar but it was not clear where they were headed to .
The rickety wooden vessel had been stranded on the sea for 10 days until it was sighted by a local fishing boat and being reported to the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
Immediately, teams from the DFAR, and Navy left for the rescue, the Navy further said.
“SLN medical personnel provided emergency medical treatment to the rescued who were in various stages of dehydration due to the ordeal. One male had died in the incident and further investigations are in progress.”bdnews24.com
