Indian Navy's Commander Tomy Brought to Visakhapatnam After Medical Observation in Amsterdam

New Delhi: Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy who was under medical observation at Ile Amsterdam was brought to Visakhapatnam on Friday safely onboard INS Satpura, Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

"On September 21, his (Tomy) sailing vessel 'Thuriya' was dismasted when the boat was caught in a violent storm in the south Indian Ocean, approximately 1,900 nautical miles (around 3500km) West of Perth, Australia", the ministry said.

"Abhilash Tomy suffered a severe back injury and dropped out of the race," it said.

Tomy has now been shifted to INHS Kalyani, the naval hospital of ENC, for observation and medical assistance.

The ministry said that Tomy was participating in the Golden Globe Race 2018(GGR) representing India in the historic around the world race without modern navigation aids.

The Australian Rescue Coordination Centre at Canberra coordinated the rescue mission in conjunction with many agencies including the Australian Defence Department and the Indian Navy.

To rescue the injured officer the Indian Navy launched 'Operation Raksham' by immediately deploying the Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft P8I in the area staging through Mauritius for providing close support and monitoring the rescue operations.

As a French Fishing Vessel, Osiris reached On September 24 in the vicinity of 'Thuriya' and carried out a successful rescue operation and later shifted Tomy to Ile Amsterdam for shelter.

Fuelling from INS jyothi, the INS Satpura arrived off the Ile Amsterdam and on September 28 with the help of ship's helicopter the commander was evacuated.

He was thereafter provided with the requisite medical treatment onboard during the passage to Visakhapatnam.

"The ship successfully executed 'Operation Raksham' and brought Cdr Tomy safely to Visakhapatnam displaying Indian Navy's reach, mobility and versatility to responding to the challenges of ‘Search and Rescue' mission" ministry said.

"The event is another testimony of the Indian Navy being a credible ‘Net Security Provider' in the Indian Ocean Region," it said.

Vice Admiral Karambir Singh interacted with commander Tomy and enquired about his health condition and the rescue operation.

The Commander-in-Chief also interacted with Captian Alok Ananda, the Commanding Officer of INS Satpura who lost his father while the ship was on operational deployment and diverted for search and rescue operation.