We could have saved more lives if we had another boat

KAKDWIP: The trawler tragedy near Ghoramara Island would have assumed more catastrophic proportions had it not been the efforts of three bravehearts who risked their lives to rescue passengers.
Arup Jana (42), Nantu Mandal (25) and Ranjit Mandal (20) were in a trawler towards Teropekkha in East Midnapore from Maya Goalini ghat in Sagar Island when they spotted a few men waving at them from another vessel.They then changed direction and cruised towards
Ghoramara. After travelling for about half an hour, the trio saw more than 200 people struggling in the waters.
What followed was an act of sheer heroism the three swung into an impromptu rescue operation and saved 125 people.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who visited Kakdwip on Sunday, met the three men and congratulated them. "You have not only saved the passengers but also spared the government a big embarrassment. You deserve a reward," he told them.
Recalling the experience, Arup said: "As we approached the spot, we saw a sea of human heads. They were screaming for help and struggling in the waters. Most were finding it difficult to stay afloat. Some managed to hold onto broken logs from the trawler but the rest simply gave up."
The three swung into action, pulling up the drowning passengers one by one. Even as they saved whoever they could reach, many got pulled away by the strong current. "We could do nothing about it as there were only three of us in the boat. We could have saved more lives if we had more people," said Ranjit. Residents of Sagar Island, they were travelling to Teropekkha to fetch bricks.
The three worked valiantly for three hours from 1 in the afternoon till they had pulled up the last person they could reach. Even as their limbs got numb and they became breathless, they kept scouting around for more passengers. "Even as we started sailing back towards Kakdwip, we spotted five bodies in the water and pulled them up," said Arup.
On Sunday, they accompanied police to the capsize spot. Other than those rescued by the three, only two more passengers could be saved. "More people could have been saved only if we had another boat with us. But we couldn't spot a single vessel in those three hours," said Nantu.
The CM's appreciation left them happy. "We believe it was our duty to go there and save the passengers. We didn't discuss if we would do it. We didn't want to waste any time. If we are faced with a similar situation again, we will do the same thing," said Arup.