Injured Indian Navy sailor hospitalised

Kochi: A day after he was rescued from the Indian Ocean off Australia, Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy, who suffered a grievous back injury while participating in the Golden Globe race, has been admitted to a hospital in a remote island, a Defence spokesman said here Tuesday.

He said the French fisheries vessel Osiris, which rescued Commander Abhilash Tomy, reached off Amsterdam isle by 9:30 AM and the sailor was subsequently transferred to the hospital there for further medical evaluation and treatment.

Tomy, 39, and Irishman Gregor McGuckin, 32, were injured after their boats lost masts in a storm at South Indian Ocean Friday while competing in the prestigious race.

“Tomy and Gregor have been transferred ashore at “Amsterdam isle” by a medical team and have been taken to hospital for X-Ray and medical checkup,” the spokesman said.

He said the fishing vessel Osiris will remain in the area till HMAS Ballarat (Australian warship) and INS Satpura reach the island. According to reports, the island only has a small hospital with limited facilities.

Tomy, who was sailing as part of the Golden Globe Race (GGR), drifted in the sea for three days before he was rescued by French fishing vessel Osiris, officials had said Monday.

His boat Thuriya was hit by a deadly storm, about 1,900 nautical miles from Perth, on Friday. Indian Naval ship Satpura has been sent to bring the commander back to India.

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

According to rescue officer Phil Gaden in Australia, Tomy had a severely injured back. “We believe that he’s very severely restricted in his ability to manoeuvre, his mobility is affected,” Gaden said.

Tomy was in the third position in the race and sailed over 10,500 nautical miles in the last 84 days, since July 1 when the competition began.

On Sunday, he managed to get in touch with the organisers of the race in France through messages and requested for help as he could not move on his own.

“A sense of relief to know that naval officer @abhilashtomy is rescued by the French fishing vessel. He’s conscious and doing okay. The vessel will shift him to a nearby island (I’lle Amsterdam) by evening.

INS Satpura will take him to Mauritius for medical attention,” Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had tweeted.

Tomy has covered 52,000 miles under sail, including a solo non-stop circumnavigation from Mumbai and back in 2012-13.

He also represented India in the 2011 Cape Town to Rio Race, the Spanish Copa del Rey Race in 2014 and the Korea Cup for two years in succession.

He has been awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, the Kirti Chakra for valour and courageous action and the Mac Gregor medal.