A crewman on deck of the Lusail spotted two fishermen in distress at the sea at around 9.30am local time. The captain Miro Vuletic immediately directed the crew of Croatians and Filipinos to initiate a rescue and even though visibility was poor because of heavy rain, the first fisherman could be pulled from the water within half an hour.
By mid-afternoon the second fisherman was safely taken from the water by a vessel that had responded to Lusail`s SOS. In accordance with the instructions from Sri Lanka`s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, both fishermen were eventually transferred to a Sri Lanka Navy ship and are reportedly in good health.