Iran fisherman with eye injury admitted to GMC

Panaji: An Iranian fisherman who suffered critical injuries to his eyes was admitted to Goa Medical College on Thursday after a joint rescue operation involving the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy.A long range naval helicopter took off from INS Hansa on Thursday morning and airlifted the patient from ICGS Sachet at sea about 180km off Goa. The Indian Navy helicopter landed with the injured Iranian national at noon on Thursday.A couple of days earlier, ICG’s off-shore patrol vessel, ICGS Sachet, had conducted a medical evacuation of the Iranian fisherman. Though ICGS Sachet was enroute to Goa, the turbulent weather conditions in the Arabian Sea made the journey slow and difficult.“The medical condition of the injured fisherman was monitored 24/7 during the passage. As the medical condition of the patient deteriorated on Wednesday night, a decision was made to airlift the patient from the ICG ship with assistance from the Indian Navy,” said the ICG in a statement.The fisherman had sustained injuries to both eyes and a deep laceration on his right ear following an explosion.