The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the 11th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2024) off the Kochi coast on Friday.

The two-day event, inaugurated by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, was reviewed by ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani.

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With the theme “Enhancing Search and Rescue Capabilities Through Regional Collaboration,” SAREX-2024 underscored the significance of international cooperation in maritime safety.

The first day of the event featured workshops, seminars, and table-top exercises involving senior officials from government agencies, armed forces, and various stakeholders, including international delegates.

The second day showcased an elaborate sea exercise simulating large-scale contingencies, including a dramatic passenger aircraft crash scenario.

The exercise simulated an aircraft carrying 250 passengers encountering technical failure, losing communication with Air Traffic Control, and vanishing from radar approximately 150 nautical miles northwest of Kochi.

The ensuing Mass Rescue Operation (MRO) demonstrated seamless coordination and resource deployment, involving, life raft drops by Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft and ICG ships, evacuation of passengers using Advanced Light Helicopters, crew rescues employing Jason Cradle technology, drone deployment for delivering lifebuoys to stranded passengers,

Assets from the ICG, IAF, Cochin Port Authority, Kochi Water Metro, and Kerala State Administration—including water ambulances, tugs, and rescue crafts—were deployed for the operation.