JEDDAH – Coalition naval forces rescued 60 passengers and five crew of a Yemeni vessel, Al-Wathiq, which was found floundering at sea following an engine failure.

The boat was further blown off course by the prevailing winds, making the search and rescue effort a difficult one.

The Coaliton forces sustained along search, combing the vast area in the sea, before saving 11 women, 7 children and 42 men, in addition to the five crew, from the stalled vessel.

Al-Wathiq set sail from Socotra Island towards the Yemeni coast in Al-Maharah governorate last Wednesday.

While at sea and some 117 nautical miles from Nashtoun Port all the engines broke down.

The plight of the passengers and crew became all the more perilous with high speed winds blowing the ship off course, eastwards by 20 nautical miles.

The Coalition naval forces under the Joint Command Forces (Al-Maharah Sector) started a search and rescue operation using their sea boats.

“The search continued for 18 hours and thanks to Allah, the ship was found on Thursday,” a member of the Coalition naval forces said.

The vessel was towed to Nashtoun Port after checking on the health of all its passengers and crew. The towing operation took 28 hours in a 46-hour search and rescue operation.

On arrival of the ship on Friday, the medical team at the field hospital of the Coalition Joint Forces and Al-Ghaidha Hospital provided the necessary health care to the ship’s passengers and crew.

Most of the people were suffering from sever exhaustion due to shortage of food and water.

The Coalition’s efforts in rescuing the vessel’s passengers and crew was received with a great response of relief, thanks and appreciation by the rescued people relatives and the community in Al-Maharah governorate. — SG