New Delhi: A fire broke out on a marine research vessel off Karnataka's New Mangalore coast, following which 30 crew members and 16 scientists were rescued by the coast guard, an official said Saturday.

Around 10 pm Friday, Marine Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai, was informed about the fire on ocean research vessel (ORV) Sagar Sampada, Coast Guard Inspector General (West region) Vijay Chaphekar said.

The vessel belongs to an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Of the 16 scientists onboard, three were women, he said.

The fire broke out in the accommodation area of the vessel and the crew were not able to control its spread. The Coast Guard pressed into service ICGS Vikram and ICGS Sujay to render necessary assistance, the official said.

"The Indian Coast Guard ships arrived at vessel's position just past midnight on March 16 and deployed a joint fire-fighting team to contain the blaze," Chaphekar said, adding external fire fighting system fitted on the Indian Coast Guard ships were also used to control the spread of blaze.

The team boarded the vessel and assessed the situation. It was found that eight compartments in the accommodation area were on fire, he said.

Extensive fire-fighting operations were undertaken which continued for over eight hours. Following that ORV Sagar Sampada proceeded towards New Mangalore harbour safely, Chaphekar said.

 

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Karwar: Uttara Kannada police have cracked a murder case in which a Belagavi youth was killed and his body burnt inside a car to make it appear like a road accident.

Addressing a press meet in the city, Superintendent of Police Deepan M.N. said three accused from Old Hubballi have been arrested in connection with the case. The crime was a pre-planned act driven by personal enmity, he said.

The case came to light on April 8 morning when a car (KA-04/MJ-8996) was found completely burnt in a roadside ditch near Talekumbri bus stand in Yellapur. Only charred human remains were found inside the vehicle. Initially, it was suspected to be an accident caused by overspeeding, and a case was registered at Yellapur police station based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s father, Jagannath Dhapale.

However, the father later expressed suspicion that his son’s death was not accidental, prompting a detailed investigation.

Taking the matter seriously, two special teams were formed under the leadership of Yellapur Inspector Ramesh Hanapur. On analysing technical evidence and CCTV footage, police found that it was a planned murder.

The accused have been identified as Abdul Raheem Basheer Ahmed Mujawar (32), Maulasab Bavahan Wada (36) and Dadapeer alias Aftab Mehboob Saab Balasangi (22), all chicken traders from Old Hubballi.

Police have seized the car used in the crime along with two scooters. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody.

Investigations revealed that the accused killed Nitesh Dhapale due to personal enmity and later set the car on fire along with the body to project it as an accident.

SP Deepan M.N. appreciated the efforts of Inspector Ramesh Hanapur, PSIs Rajashekhar Vandali and Siddappa Gudi, and the entire team for solving the complex case.