Indian Navy rescued civilians from drowning close to Kavaratti island harbour mouth. (Representational)
A Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) of the Indian Navy's Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB) squadron rescued local civilians from drowning close to the Kavaratti island harbour mouth in Lakshadweep, a defence release said on Thursday.
On a routine surveillance at Kavaratti island on December 28, the naval vessel saw three locals in the water who appeared to be drowning and rushed to their rescue, the release said.
The FIC picked up one of the locals and provided him first aid, while the other two were recovered by a police patrol boat, it said.
"Proper lookout, quick reaction and quality of training of the FIC crew ensured the men were rescued at the earliest," the release said.
FICs of the SPB squadron under the Naval Officer-in-Charge (NOIC) Lakshadweep are positioned at Kavaratti, Minicoy and Androth Islands for coastal security, seafront patrolling, humanitarian assistance and for security of naval assets since 2016, it said.