Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s destroyer INS Kochi has evacuated one of the 18 crew members onboard a Malta-flagged hijacked cargo vessel off the coast of Somalia to provide medical care after he was injured by the pirates, officials said on December 19.
It is learnt that the sailor, a Bulgarian national, was injured in firing by the pirates.
Another Indian warship INS Kolkata has now reached the Gulf of Aden, said sources.
The injured crew member was reported to be stable, it said in a statement. “The injured crew member was medically managed onboard the IN ship but due to urgent medical attention required, which was beyond the scope of the ship, he has been transferred ashore at Oman,” the Navy said.
The Indian Navy’s warship has been following MV Ruen since Saturday when it indicated that six “pirates” had illegally boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy had swiftly responded to a call for help and its warship on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden was deployed to locate and assist MV Ruen, according to an agency report.
