25 Indonesian Fishermen Rescued After Fishing Boat Capsizes South of Sri Lanka

Twenty-five Indonesian fishermen have been safely brought ashore in Sri Lanka after their fishing vessel capsized at sea, triggering a multi-agency rescue operation.

The fishermen were aboard the Indonesian trawler KM Garuda Jaya VI, which capsized on September 22 south of Sri Lanka. The incident occurred within the Australian Search and Rescue Region, where the crew was reported to be in distress.

After the vessel went down, the merchant ship MV Moonstone located the fishermen in the water and rescued all 25 survivors. The ship then alerted the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo about the emergency.

The rescue operation continued with coordination between the MRCC Colombo and the Sri Lanka Navy. Two Navy vessels were dispatched to transfer the fishermen from the merchant ship and bring them safely to shore.

The 25 survivors arrived at Colombo Port on September 24, where they received humanitarian assistance from the Sri Lankan authorities.

Following their arrival, the fishermen were handed over to the Embassy of Indonesia for further assistance and arrangements.

The operation involved several parties across the region, including the merchant vessel that first located the fishermen, Sri Lankan maritime authorities and the Indonesian diplomatic mission.

All 25 fishermen were reported to have survived the incident and were safely brought ashore.

The rescue comes just days after the fishing vessel capsized, with authorities coordinating across maritime search-and-rescue jurisdictions to locate and assist the crew.

Sources:
Sri Lanka Navy – Official rescue report
Government of Sri Lanka – Current Affairs
Daily Mirror Sri Lanka – Rescue operation