Fisherman injured over 600 nautical miles off Lanka brought home

The Navy has deployed an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sayurala to bring home a fisherman who sustained injuries as a result of an accident onboard a fishing trawler 610 nautical off Great Basses Lighthouse, southeast of the country.

Navy headquarters said that having brought the injured fisherman to Hambantota harbour, he was rushed to the Hambantota hospital again by the Navy for treatment yesterday (18). The trawler had left the Galle fisheries harbour on June 29 on a fishing voyage with six fishermen aboard. Following an accident while at sea, one of the crew members suffered an open wound to his stomach area and the circumstances were disseminated by the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC Colombo) established at Navy Headquarters.

Responding to the request for assistance, Navy sent out SLNS ‘Sayurala’ to the sea area where the multi-day fishing trawler was and moved the patient to Sayurala around 7 am on Saturday (17). Administering him with first aid, the injured fisherman was brought to the Hambantota harbour yesterday morning (18). Thereupon, he was rushed to the Hambantota General Hospital for further treatment.