Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy, who was stranded on the roughest patch of the Indian Ocean for days after his sailing boat was ripped apart by waves and winds, has finally been rescued.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed relief after the decorated sailor's rescue. She confirmed that Tomy was rescued by French fishing vessel Osiris. "He's conscious and doing okay. The vessel will shift him to a nearby island (I'lle Amsterdam) by evening. INS Satpura will take him to Mauritius for medical attention," Sitharaman tweeted.
A sense of relief to know that naval officer @abhilashtomy is rescued by the French fishing vessel. He's concious and doing okay. The vessel will shift him to a nearby island (I'lle Amsterdam) by evening. INS Satpura will take him to Mauritius for medical attention. @PIB_India
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) September 24, 2018
Tomy, who was taking part in the Golden Globe Race (GGR), was stranded some 1,900 nautical miles away from Australian shores on Friday after the mast of his boat was destroyed.
The 39-year-old Navy commander was travelling in his sailing vessel 'Thuriya', which uses only maritime capabilities available 50 years ago.
According to the latest updates, Tomy is in conscious state. Earlier he had sent SOS messages stating that he suffered severe back injury in the accident and couldn't move.
His messages had read " Activated EPIRB. Can't walk. might need stretcher. Later he said "Can move toes. Feel numb. Can't eat or drink. Tough to reach grab bag".
Tomy, the son of a naval police officer, became the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe in a solo voyage in 2013. He is the only Indian participating in the Golden Globe Race.
Tomy hails from Alappuzha in Kerala.
