Kakdwip: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday successfully rescued about 181 pilgrims from the water body when their mechanised ferry boat got stranded in the swallow water of Namkhana, Kakdwip near Sagar Island in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, official sources said.
Sources said the boat got stranded while the pilgrims were returning from the Sagar Island after celebrating the Makar Sankranti on Monday.
The incident occurred as the pilot failed to fathom the water level due to poor visibility.
After an alarm sounded the Coast Guard alerted its available manpower and resources and evacuated all the stranded pilgrims to Kakdwip in phases, sources said.
People will have to cross the Muriganga from Namkhana to reach Sagar Island. The depth of water in the Muriganga depends on the tides. During low tide, some sections have only ankle-deep water. It is suspected that the pilot of the ferry entered one such section due to poor visibility and ran aground.
