A 80 meter-long barge with eleven member crew grounded in Pesalai, Mannar this evening due to bad weather conditions, Navy said.
“ The Indian port bound vessel grounded near Mannar due to rough sea conditions that still prevail in the sea. We have taken all necessary steps to evacuate the crew at the earliest,” Navy spokesman Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya told Times Online.
The Indian port bound vessel commenced its journey from Maldives with an eleven member crew that consisted of six Indian and five Indonesian nationals.
Despite the bad weather conditions at sea, the Navy is taking all possible avenues to ensure the safety of the crew, Navy Spokesperson said.
A tug vessel which was sent to assist the barge also found itself to navigate due to currently prevailing rough sea conditions as well.
(sundaytimes.lk)