Aircraft locates injured Navy officer’s yacht ‘rolling excessively’ in Indian Ocean
Kochi : An Indian Navy aircraft has located the vessel of Indian Naval officer Abhilash Tomy, who was badly injured while participating in the Golden Globe Race, “rolling excessively” in the South Indian Ocean, a Defence spokesman said Sunday.
Tomy had suffered a back injury Friday after his yacht was hit by a vicious storm with 14-metre-high waves mid-way across south Indian Ocean.
The Indian Navy’s P8I aircraft, which flew from Mauritius in the early hours Sunday, has located the “mast broken boat rolling excessively”, he said.
“Commander Tomy responded by ping on EPIRB as the aircraft was flying over him,” the spokesman said here.
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) is a device which alerts rescue services in case of an accident at sea. He said heavy rains have been reported from the area.
The aircraft would fly back after three to four hours and Tomy can only be rescued by naval ships, he said.
Tomy had Sunday managed to get in touch with race organisers in France through messages and had requested for a stretcher as he could not move on his own. He was representing India in the Golden Globe Race 2018 (GGR) on an indigenously-built sailing vessel ‘S V Thuraya’.
Tomy, who became the first Indian to have circumnavigated the globe in 2013, is the only Indian participating in the race that involves a gruelling 30,000-mile solo circumnavigation of the globe.
His vessel is in the south Indian Ocean, about 1,900 nautical miles from Perth in Australia
Tomy’s vessel was dismasted in extremely rough weather and sea conditions, with wind speeds of 130 kmh. He was in third position in the race and has sailed over 10,500 nautical miles in the last 84 days, since the race started on July 1.
A report from France on Friday night had said 70 knot winds and 14-metre-high waves have left the yachts of Tomy and Ireland’s Gregor McGuckin dismasted, and twice knocked down the yacht of second-placed Dutchman Mark Slats.
Both McGuckin and Slats had reported that they are okay, but 39-year-old Tomy, making his second solo circumnavigation, has been injured, it had said.
It had also said other entrants were asked to make towards Tomy’s position if possible, and added that the weather was extreme.
The nearest yacht was McGuckin’s ‘Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance’, some 90 miles to the southwest of Tomy’s ‘Thuriya’, but she too was dismasted in the same storm.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
