Basil George led an amazing rescue mission so that a helicopter could land and rescue people. In an admirable community effort, his team swam through strong currents, broken walls and floating snakes to help those who needed it most.
A Pawan Hans helicopter with two pilots on board crashed into the Arabian Sea minutes after take off from an ONGC platform this evening.
On the night of March 12, at about 2100 hrs, INS Kalpeni intercepted a pirate mother vessel called Vega 5 in the Arabian sea about 600 nautical miles west of India. 13 crew members were rescued and 61 pirates were been nabbed in the operation, an Indian Navy media release stated.
Two Panamanian cargo ships collided on Saturday off the Mumbai coast causing an oil spill from one of the vessels but no casualties were reported, Indian Coast Guard officials said.
"All efforts are being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau," the minister said on Twitter.
In a major operation, the Indian Navy intercepted a pirate mother ship, rescuing 13 crew members, and arrested 61 Somali sea brigands nearly 600 nautical miles off the western coast. "Vega 5, a pirate mother vessel, was intercepted by fast attack craft INS Kalpeni and 61 pirates were apprehended and 13 crew members rescued," a Navy spokesperson said on Monday. The pirates and their ship were being brought to Mumbai for further investigations, the spokesperson said.
'Bottomline, hairline and waistline -- you have to watch them always.'
'The IAF has flown more than 100 hours in search operations. No effort is being spared to locate the missing aircraft,' the statement added.
Four days on, a massive search and rescue operation to trace the Russian-origin aircraft continues, with these tense circumstances leaving family members in despair.
"Our principles of operation were very clear -- 'Indians First, Others later' and 'No Indians, No Rescue'. When many people approached us (for evacuation) we told them Indians would be rescued first," said Captain Pradeep Singh, Commanding Officer of INS Tarkash, one of the vessels deployed in the operation.
Close to 75 Indian warships and 24 from Navies across the globe are participating in the event.
The authorities have called the families of the crew for carrying out DNA tests for identification of the deceased and collecting the remains and personal effects.
These next generation ships can patrol the oceans for three or four months compared to the navy's current patrol boats, which can be at sea for a maximum of 45 days.
The International Fleet Review, conceived as a show of the country's naval might and readiness for battle, saw as many as 100 naval ships, including 70 from the Indian Navy, taking part in the second edition of the coveted event.
Dentist Puneet Mehra, 35, said that the Indian Embassy in Beijing informed him on Monday that the transportation of his mother's body has got delayed in view of the restrictions on movement of people and vehicles in China after the outbreak of coronavirus epidemic in the neighbouring country.
Even as Tauktae's intensity weakened, it left behind a trail of destruction with as many as 13 people losing their lives in different parts of Gujarat, including Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Patan, Amreli and Valsad, officials said.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday visited cyclone-hit Kerala and assured the state of all help while asserting that rescue operations would continue till every missing fishermen was brought back safely.
'Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the ill-fated aircraft have been retrieved. AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) is conducting investigations,' Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, as fresh questions were raised on the safety parameters of the runway.
Flight JT-610, carrying 189 people, was on a scheduled flight from the Indonesian capital to Pangkal Pinang, the main city in the Bangka Belitung Islands.
Nearly four months after submarine INS Sindhurakshak sank following a huge explosion and fire in Mumbai, navy divers are still looking for bodies of missing sailors in the wreckage of the warship.
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
'It was incredibly heart-wrenching to see people waiting to be evacuated -- children, parents and grandparents. Many families did not get to leave together. An order of priority was drawn up, and the first ones to be evacuated were pregnant women, single and/or older women and dialysis patients. Most were happy to be on the plane but also very distressed to have left behind family and friends.'
Seven Indian sailors aboard the MV Asphalt Venture, who were taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2010 and were freed on October 30, finally flew into Mumbai from Nairobi on Monday afternoon.
'Those 10 years in the IAF has made me what I am today.'
Indonesia-based Lion Air Flight JT610, a three-month old 737 MAX 8, took off from capital Jakarta at 6.20 am local time on Monday and lost contact 13 minutes later when it was at an altitude of about 3,000 feet.
Malaysia Airlines today began shifting relatives of missing Chinese and Indian passengers to Kuala Lumpur for "better care and comfort" while China pressed more ships and aircraft to locate the plane that went missing four days ago.
'We decided that we would fire our rockets and dive into the valley and get away, making it difficult for the missiles to be fired.'
The flying licence of the two pilots was suspended and a probe launched into the accident.
One Indian student has died after he nearly drowned in a swollen lake in Texas.
The multinational search for the missing AirAsia flight entered the third day on Tuesday after a futile day-long scanning of the JavaSea where the Airbus 320-200 is believed to have gone down with 162 passengers and crew.
Four navy personnel, including an officer, remained missing on Friday after a vessel sank off the Vishakhapatnam coast on Thursday night and a full scale search is underway to trace them besides.
The Indian Navy on Sunday said that they have gained access to the forward compartment of the ill-fated submarine INS Sindhurakshak by breaking open the jammed hatches.
The girl lending the helping hand won her hearts and accolades, with Hero Cyles taking special note.
Searchers using sonar equipment on Wednesday located the wreckage of the ill-fated AirAsia plane carrying 162 people at the bottom of the Java Sea off Indonesia, even as bad weather hampered the recovery of many bloated bodies seen floating around the crash site.
5 planes and 13 ships are out trying to track the aircraft, which was carrying 29 people on board.
AWESOME!!! AMAZING!!!! INCREDIBLE!!!!! Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore exclaims when he encounters the INS Vikramaditya, India's majestic aircraft carrier.
Eight personnel of the 21 Para Regiment, which had undertaken a daring operation just inside Myanmar territory following the Manipur ambush, were among 67 for whom President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday approved Gallantry awards.
'It is very clear that Air India cannot be managed by the government.' 'Air India should be run as a separate profit entity.'
Like there's no dearth of memorable bus scenes and train imagery in Hindi movies, planes are equally prolific on silver screen.
'It is time India thought big not only about its global clout politically and diplomatically, but also act its size against pin-pricking by anti national elements,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
