Maha: Boat stuck on rocks, crewman rescued after 30 hrs

Palghar (Maharashtra), Sep 3 The Indian Coast Guard on Friday rescued a lone crew member of a mini-barge which broke from its moorings near Ghodbunder and hit the rocks off Palghar coast, officials said here.

Resuming the rescue operation this morning, an ICG helicopter finally rescued the crew member identified as Rafique Shaikh and handed him over to the Palghar Police for further investigations.

As per preliminary information, the mini-barge had broken from its mooring when the master had stepped ashore for a meal near Ghodbunder on Thursday morning.

The tides and currents took the vessel and it got wedged in the rocks near the Amalapada lighthouse in the Arabian Sea, around 4 kms off Palghar coast, sparking a security scare on Thursday.

Further probe is underway, including whether the vessel master lodged a police complaint or not as multiple agencies got involved.