Indian Coast Guard demonstrate ways to rescue people from burning ships, aircrafts

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), as part of the 10th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) demonstrated rescue techniques to secure distressed passengers from a burning ship and a crashed aircraft.

#WATCH | Exercise “SAREX-2022” was reviewed by Indian Coast Guard chief VS Pathania along with other agencies and foreign participants. ICG Dornier planes demonstrated ways of rescuing passengers from ships & aircraft during emergencies. pic.twitter.com/1UFutS1pdj

— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2022

The two-day exercise saw tabletop exercises on Saturday, while Sunday was dedicated to live demonstration at sea near Chennai.

HOW DID THEY DEMONSTRATE?

With 27 foreign observers, the demonstration was conducted under the simulation that the passenger vessel Swarajdeep was caught on fire. An inflatable rubber prop was used to simulate an aircraft that had crashed into the sea, breaking into two pieces.

Coast guard ships immediately surrounded the passenger ship and began to sprout water using high-powered jet pumps while ICG personnel in speed boats began to comb the sea for survivors. Highly visible green markers which were part of the rescue kit were dispersed into the water by distressed passengers, which made it easy for Chetaks and the advanced light helicopter (ALH) to rescue them using a safety harness and safety cage.

The ICG Dornier planes were used to deploy life rafts while a C-130 aircraft was used to monitor the situation.

In a first, robotic life rafts capable of high speed manoeuvrability and drag capacity upto 100 kg in weight were also deployed along with drones for close observation.

ICG Director-General Virender Singh Pathania spoke on SAREX and said, “15 stakeholders of our country were part of this exercise. We simulated two scenarios. The theme was mass rescue operation and to check our capability and co-ordination as the number of lives required to be saved is high.”

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