Crew Rescued, Ship Still Missing

The six crew members of the merchant ship M.S.V. Lakshadweep, who were reported missing along with the vessel between Mangalore and Lakshadweep since Monday, were brought ashore to Kozhikode early on Sunday morning by fishermen.While Hamsa (36) is from New Mangalore, the ship’s master Maria Antony (48) and the other crew members J. Vijaya (38); D. Johnson (23); B. Ragan (20) and Suraju Degpan (48) are from Tuticorin. Their condition is reported to be stable and they have been admitted to the Government Hospital in Kozhikode.DIG (Kerala and Lakshadweep) of the Indian Coast Guard V.D. Chafekkar said the ship sank on Thursday morning following an engine failure and water seeping into the vessel. “The crew members escaped in a life boat and were picked up by local fishermen. There is no trace as yet of the sunken vessel, which was reported to be in not-so-good condition. Coast Guard ship ICGS Kasturba Gandhi has been sent to locate the vessel,” he said.