A 38-year-old man from Udupi was rescued after swimming for nearly three hours in the Arabian Sea and reaching around three nautical miles from the shore. Local rescuer Ishwar Malpe and lifeguards brought him safely back to shore.
A 38-year-old man from Udupi, who is reportedly experiencing mental health issues, was rescued on Sunday after spending nearly three hours swimming in the Arabian Sea. The man, identified as Yatish, a resident of Kadipatta, had ventured deep into the sea despite rough conditions, putting his life at serious risk.
This was reportedly not the first such incident involving Yatish. He had attempted to swim into the sea on two previous occasions, but locals managed to bring him back to safety each time.
On Sunday afternoon, Yatish walked into the Arabian Sea and began swimming further away from the shore. As the sea was rough, concerns over his safety quickly grew. Some fishermen in a boat attempted to rescue him and spent more than half an hour trying to bring him back, but Yatish reportedly kept avoiding them.
Yatish Was Swimming Three Nautical Miles From Shore
After learning about the incident, Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna immediately contacted local rescuer Ishwar Malpe. Ishwar rushed to the spot and swam towards Yatish, who was reportedly around three nautical miles from the shore.
Ishwar eventually managed to convince Yatish to return to the shore and swam back with him. Yatish was brought safely to the shore at around 3.15 pm.
Lifeguards Prajwal, Sushanth and Badal from Padubidri Blue Flag Beach also assisted in the rescue operation.
Yatish Taken To Hospital For Treatment
Following the rescue, Yatish was taken to Dr AV Baliga Hospital in Udupi for further treatment.
Personnel from the Coastal Security Police and Home Guards also reached the spot during the rescue operation.
However, locals expressed concern over the lack of a speedboat with the official teams for emergency rescue operations. They said the absence of a dedicated rescue boat could make it difficult to respond quickly to similar incidents at sea.