By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Three Myanmarese fishermen who were adrift on a bamboo raft in the Bay of Bengal for over three months were rescued by some Orissa fishermen, an official said Thursday.
The three fishermen – who identified themselves as Saw U (44), Solwei (34) and Kola (21)- were part of four groups that set out Nov 11 last year on a fishing trip from Myanmar capital Yangon. Their boat was hit by Cyclone Sidr in the Bay seven days later and they were cast away.
They were adrift since then in the sea and were trying desperately to find a way to return to their country. They had survived by eating raw fish and turtles, they told the authorities.
They were spotted by a group of fishermen at Gopalpur in Ganjam district, around 170 km from here, and rescued Tuesday evening, police inspector of Gopalpur Girija Shankar Rath told IANS.
The police provided the rescued Myanmarese fishermen food, clothes and shelter, he said. They were also given a hair cut, he said.