Naval commander Abhilash Tomy, who was rescued on Monday, has been admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam Isle in the Indian Ocean, reported PTI. A defence spokesperson said that French fisheries vessel Osiris, which rescued Tomy, reached the island by 9.30 am on Tuesday and he was taken to a hospital for further medical tests and treatment.
Gregor McGuckin, a 32-year-old from Ireland, was also injured and rescued.
“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,” said the spokesperson, adding that Osiris will remain in the vicinity till Australian warship HMAS Ballarat and INS Satpura reach the island.
Tomy was examined by a French doctor and his x-ray reports are “not too bad”, Navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma was quoted as saying. Tomy is speaking, has had food, and further medical tests are being done.
Tomy was stranded in the South Indian Ocean while taking part in the Golden Globe Race. He suffered a back injury on Friday after his yacht was demasted in a severe storm. The Navy’s P8I aircraft, which flew from Mauritius early on Sunday, located the “mast broken boat rolling excessively”.
Tomy had responded by ping on Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon as the aircraft was flying over him. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon is a device that alerts rescue services in case of an accident at sea.
Tomy, who was the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe in 2013, was the only Indian participating in the race, which involves a 30,000-mile solo circumnavigation of the globe.
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