Tomy was able to communicate using a texting unit, after his satellite phone was broken. He managed to send an initial message saying he has a severe back injury and was immobilised, unable to eat or drink.<doc-sep>An international rescue operation is underway to help an injured sailor stranded in the Indian Ocean. Abhilash Tomy, a 39-year-old Indian Navy commander, was competing in the round-the-world Golden Globe Race when a storm rolled his boat, snapping its main mast off and leaving him incapacitated with what he described as a “serious back injury”, in a message asking for help. He is now “incapacitated on his bunk inside his boat” some 3,704 kilometres (2,300 miles) off Western Australia, organisers said. He was able to send a text message via a handheld satellite unit, but his main satellite phone was damaged, and his injury meant he was unable to reach a second satellite phone and handheld VHF radio on the boat, AFP reports. The position of the yacht is so remote that the nearest vessel in a position to help – a French fisheries patrol boat – will only be able to reach the stricken vessel by Monday or Tuesday. In his last spoken communication with race organisers they discussed the approaching storm and it was agreed he would be able to ride it out. “There’s nothing there you can’t handle”, an official can be heard saying, “but we just wanted to tell you about this one.” Wind-speed was forecast to reach 50 knots, with stronger gusts. The Indian Navy commander is in his bunk aboard his yacht after sustaining 'severe back injuries' during a storm which snapped the boat's mast (Screengrab/YouTube) Two military aircraft, one from India and another from Australia, flew over the stricken boat on Sunday, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said. Crews could see the boat had lost its mast but were unable to obtain any further information on Commander Tomy’s condition. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital.<doc-sep>SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Indian sailor injured in a solo round-the-world race has been rescued, the Indian Navy said on Monday, after Australian authorities said a French ship was nearing his storm-damaged yacht off Australia's west coast. The sailor, Abhilash Tomy, called for emergency assistance on Saturday after the yacht was badly damaged in a storm about 3,500 km (2,175 miles) west of Australia, leaving him with severe back injuries. "Tomy rescued safely," the Indian Navy said on Twitter, without giving further details. Earlier, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is coordinating the rescue, had said it expected a French fisheries patrol vessel to reach Tomy's yacht as soon as 0700 GMT. "All indications are the vessel is upright and floating high in the water but at any moment, a wave could push one of the damaged masts into the vessel and compromise its integrity," Phil Gaden, a search and rescue official, told reporters in Canberra, the Australian capital. The mast hanging precariously over the yacht stoked fears it could become dislodged and damage the watertight body of the boat, Gaden added. Despite the nearness of the French ship, Gaden had cautioned that rescuers might not be able to evacuate Tomy because of the damage to his yacht, in which case an Australian naval boat, positioned further away, might have had to undertake the rescue. Tomy, whose website says he became the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe in 2013, was a contestant in the grueling 30,000-mile (48000-km) Golden Globe Race. The Indian-built yacht, 'Thuriya', left the seaside town of Les Sables-d'Olonne in western France on July 1 in the roundtrip race. Participant crafts, similar to those used 50 years ago in the first such race, which features a solo circumnavigation of the globe, are barred from using modern technology, except for their communications gear. (Reporting by Colin Packham and Krishna N. Das; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)<doc-sep>An international rescue mission was underway on Sunday to find a solo yachtsman trapped on the bunk bed of his stricken boat 1,800 miles off the coast of Western Australia after a storm broke his mast and left him paralysed. Abhilash Tomy, an Indian naval officer, was competing in the round-the-world Golden Globe Race, which bars the use of modern technology, when his 10-metre vessel Thuriya was thrown off course in the Indian Ocean. He is understood to have been seriously injured during the storm, as he warned in a satellite text message: "Can't walk. Might need stretcher." Mr Tomy added in a second text message to race organisers: "Can move toes. Feel numb. Can't eat or drink. Tough 2 reach grab bag." Race organisers said Mr Tomy was "incapacitated on his bunk inside his boat.... as far from help as you can possibly be".<doc-sep>
PANAJI: When Indian Navy sailor Abhilash Tomy sailed out of the Les Sables d'Olonne, France, on a Goa-built yacht on July 1, he knew he was taking a risk. As the first Indian to single-handedly sail around the world without a stop in a tiny vessel, Tomy was well-versed with the ocean's unforgiving nature.But for Tomy, his love for the ocean blue was despite its treacherous nature. While sailing as part of the iconic Golden Globe Race , a 14m-high wave rolled over and left him severely injured. His vessel, Thuriya , momentarily capsized and his mast snapped in the storm in the remote waters of the Southern Indian Ocean. "The windwane autopilot is destroyed," said Aquarius fiberglass shipyard managing director Ratnakar Dandekar. "I presume he has hull integrity because he has not reported any water entry. It is worrisome. We have to just hang on till someone reaches him. "The Thuriya was built at Dandekar's Divar-based shipyard.Given the danger and the precarious weather conditions, race organisers are working closely with the Australian Rescue Co-ordination Center in Canberra. Australian authorities have issued an alert to all ships, said the race's media co-ordinator, Barry Pickthall. The Indian Navy has also joined in the rescue effort and has diverted the stealth frigate INS Satapura, which had been forward deployed to the Southern Indian Ocean, to help locate and rescue the commander.The storm witnessed wind speeds of 70 knots (130kmph) and rough sea conditions of 45 feet.According to his on-shore support team, race officials received a code red alert from Tomy on September 21 at 5:39pm that his mast had broken off and that he had a "severe back injury and was unable to move". The joint rescue centre at Australia has alerted nearby vessels to head towards Tomy and help in locating the stricken vessel.According to race officials, Tomy remains incapacitated on his bunk inside the boat and is using the portable Yellow Brick YB3 texting unit to maintain contact with race officials. The primary satellite phone is damaged. There is a second sat phone and the second YB3 texting unit, but he cannot reach them. "He is safe in the vessel," commander Dilip Dhonde, the first Indian to complete a solo circumnavigation, said. "It will take a few days for rescue vessels to reach him. "According to Indian Navy officials, Tomy had switched on his emergency position-indicating radio beacon to help rescuers locate him. The 39-year-old is a recipient of the Kirti Chakra and is the only invitee from Asia to participate in the prestigious race that commenced from France. The Thuriya was in the third position after he sailed over 10,500 nautical miles in the last 84 days as part of the gruelling 30,000-mile solo circumnavigation race. ( With inputs from Kochi)