19-year-old BTech student rescues 4 fishermen stuck at sea with his drone
Devang Subil, a student of Christ University, Bengaluru, managed to rescue four fishermen who were lost in the Arabian Sea with the help of his drone.
With technology becoming inevitably intertwined with our lives, many people are recognising its potential and putting it to good use. Recently, a 19-year-old student used his drone to rescue four fishermen who were stranded in the Arabian Sea after their boat had capsized.
Devang Subil, an engineering student of Bengaluru’s Christ University, had returned to his hometown in Thrissur, Kerala after his college got closed due to the pandemic. He heard about a boat that had gone missing from the Nattika beach of the city, and fishermen and rescue workers were quite worried.
When Devang approached them with the suggestion of using his drone, he was immediately dismissed, with people telling him that ‘it wasn’t child’s play’. However, after Nattika legislator Geetha Gopi heard about his request, she approached the police and the rescue workers at the site and managed to accommodate Devang on the rescue boat with his drone.
“When the boat reached around 11 nautical miles away from the coast, I pressed the drone and within 10 minutes, I could see one man who was floating in the sea, clinging on to a fishing pot, in my mobile phone display. The fishermen and coastal police then took the boat near to him and we could spot two other fishermen 200 m away from where the first man was found,” Devang told The New Indian Express.
“It took some time to find the fourth fisherman as he was swimming close to shore after the accident. One fisherman was about to drown when I spotted him as his swimming skill was poor. Soon after he was rescued, he lost consciousness,” he added.
Devang Subil lauded by the local folk for his thinking (Image: The New Indian Express)
The four of them are now under treatment in a hospital in Thrissur. After having spent about six hours at sea, it was fortunate that one of them was able to send a distress signal which alerted rescuers on the shore.
“We salute the youngster whose timely intervention saved four lives. He showed us how new innovations can help save lives. I have already approached the government with a suggestion to honour him,” MLA Geetha Gopi told Hindustan Times.
Edited by Kanishk Singh
