PORT BLAIR, ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS, India, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The Indian coast guard has rescued 35 Bangladeshi fishermen who were attacked by pirates after the tsunamis threw their boat off course.
A coast guard spokesman said that the fishermen were attacked New Year's Day and have been stranded since then. They had lost their way after their boats had drifted toward the Andaman Sea following the Dec. 26 tsunamis, the BBC reported Tuesday.
Coast guard helicopters flying over the devastated Andaman Islands on relief missions spotted the boat.
The fishermen are dehydrated and are being treated in a nearby hospital. Indian officials said the Bangladeshi government has been asked to organize their immediate repatriation.
The Indian navy and coast guard suspect that pirate vessels may have become more active because the tsunamis pushed many boats off their course.
