Kolkata, Aug 8 : A patrol boat of the Indian Navy saved a woman from drowning in the Hooghly river near Kolkata on Friday. She was rescued and handed over to the River Traffic Police, who got in touch with her family.

"It was after midnight and the Sagar Prahari Bal crew on the Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC), under the Naval Officer-in-Charge (NOIC), Kolkata, were maintaining a sharp lookout all around. At around 12.45 am on Friday, their sharp eyes spotted a figure struggling against the strong current that was dragging her further from the river bank," the Ministry of Defence spokesperson in Kolkata said.

An Indian Navy official said that the crew carefully steered the FIC towards the struggling figure in absolute darkness.

"This was not an easy task. The tide was strong and the speed of the boat had to be controlled, so as not to cause any harm to the person in the water. Finally, the FIC got sufficiently close to the person and the rescue operation was conducted. It turned out to be a sari-clad woman. The team got to her just in time. She was totally exhausted and may not have survived much longer," the official said.

The woman was in a state of panic after her ordeal and had to be calmed down after being taken on board the naval vessel. The crew ensured that she had recovered sufficiently before handing her over to the police.

According to the MoD spokesperson, the rescue took place close to Budge Budge, about five km south of the main yard of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd.

INS Netaji Subhas, the Navy office in Kolkata, operates two FICs to patrol the entire stretch of the River Hooghly. The primary task of these armed, high-speed platforms is to maintain a watch on the large number of vessels, including cargo ships, barges and fishing boats that ply the river. The crew are on the lookout for unregistered vessels or any suspicious activity.

All agencies are on a state of high alert ahead of Independence Day and patrolling has been increased accordingly, the official said.

/IANS