Pakistan Navy helicopter rescues 18 off Somalia
By Iftikhar A. Khan
Wednesday, 07 Jul, 2010 | 12:05 AM PST |
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy helped save lives of 18 Pakistanis after a large boat carrying cargo from Oman to Somalia sank at Caluula, off the north Somali coast, its spokesman Captain Mobeen Ashraf Bajwa told Dawn on Tuesday.
He said a seaborne helicopter was used to ferry the survivors to safety.
The survivors of the Pakistani-registered dhow, Al-Anwari, had initially been spotted by the USS Elrod which then alerted Pakistan Navy to the incident.
Capt Bajwa said that on the directives of Naval Chief Admiral Noman Bashir, the Commander of the Coalition Task Force (CTF) 150 tasked PNS Babur, deployed as part of counter-piracy operations in the area, to immediately render necessary assistance to the survivors.
Pakistan is currently commanding the CTF-150 based in Bahrain.
The spokesman said that navy personnel provided medical care and food to the survivors.
He said the survivors would be taken to Oman and sent to Pakistan by air after their condition stabilised.
DAWN.COM | National | Pakistan Navy helicopter rescues 18 off Somalia
Pakistan Navy helicopter rescues 18 off Somalia
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