India and China may have political or geographical differences as a nation, but when it comes to saving a life, Indians are always at the forefront. Recently Indian Coast Guard saved the life of a Chinese Mariner by rescuing him from the sea alongside the Indian Coastal Border.
The Indian Coast Guard base at Haldia received a request for immediate medical evacuation of a crewmember on board a Panama registered merchant vessel Yan Dun Jiao-I that was about 100 kilometers into the sea, South of Sagar island on 3rd February 2018. By the time Indian Coast Guard received information, it had started to get dark and the ship reported that the crewmember had been vomiting continuously and is suffering from severe abdominal pain.
The Martime Rescue Sub Centre at Haldia acted instantly with alacrity and diverted the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Raziya Sultana that was on the patrolling duty near that area, for medical evacuation of the patient. The patient was first administered first aid onboard the merchant vessel and when he became slightly stable by midnight, he was taken on board ICGS Razia Sultana.
Meanwhile, a fast interceptor boat had been dispatched from Haldia with a medical team onboard to get the patient back on land as quickly as possible. The patient was transferred onto C-418 during the wee hours of 4th February the boat reached Haldia at about 11 am. On arrival, the patient was handed over to the local agent for the merchant vessel for further treatment at Kolkata.
Timely action by the Indian Coast Guard establishment was instrumental in saving precious life of a crew member of the foreign based merchant vessel.
