DOHA: Some 10 of the 11 fishermen who were rescued by the Coast Guard after their boat capsized following Wednesday’s heavy sand storm were Asians while one was Arab.
The wind was moving at a speed of 82km an hour (45 knots) at the time the boat was rocked in the choppy sea.
The boat had begun its fishing expedition at 4pm on Wednesday while the Coast Guard had issued warnings to boats not to venture into the sea due to high waves and reduced visibility.
The boat informed the Coast Guard and got registered with it and said it would return from its fishing expedition by 9.30pm the same day.
However, they didn’t return on time, so the Coast Guard contacted them and warned them of the seriousness of the situation as there were changes in the air. The Coast Guard asked them to return immediately.
An hour later, a call was received by the Coast Guard from the vessel asking for help. There were high winds at the time and their speed was 45 knots an hour, a press statement issued by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior said yesterday.
It quoted Staff-Brigadier of Navy, Ali Ahmed Al Badid, as saying that fishing was banned at the time due to the intensity of the winds.
After the Coast Guard received an SOS from the boat, it rushed two water patrols to the spot which was specified by the boat but they couldn’t locate it even after two hours of search. Later, new coordinates were given by the cruiser on south of Al Wakra and it was difficult area for search.
The ‘National Shield’ was informed of the incident and four patrol yachts were sent to help the rescue operation. They reached the area and searched there the whole night irrespective of high waves but couldn’t find anything until dawn.
Two more patrols one each from Eastern Area Department and Southern Area Department were sent along with two helicopters from Emiri Air Force to have an aerial survey of the area.
In the first hour of dawn, the rescue team could find 9 persons. The search continued for the whole day for the remaining two and they were found on the second day after expanding the search to 20km area. They were found near Northwest of Hala Dalma where they were moved to the beach and medical aid was provided.
The General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security said in the statement it urges the sea goers to register at Coast Guard centres before starting the trip and after finishing it. It also asked them to go through the weather report before heading for sea trips and not risk their safety in case of unstable sea state.
The Peninsula
