A French ship is making an attempt to rescue an Indian sailor who is unable to move with a back injury and alone in the remote southern Indian Ocean.

Abhilash Tomy’s boat Thuriya lost its mast during a storm as he took part of the round-the-world solo Golden Globe yacht race.

The race organisers shared messages from him on Twitter where he described his chest burning, vomiting and asking for a “rescue ETA”.

The fisheries patrol boat Osiris is heading the 740 kilometers (460 miles) to the Indian naval officer’s aid.

The yacht is in Australia’s search and rescue zone 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) southwest of the Australian city of Perth and 3,000 kilometers southeast of the French island Reunion.

Phil Gaden, of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority search and rescue, said the recuse could be treacherous.

“It’s going to be a very difficult situation onboard,” Mr Gaden said.

“The yacht is severely damaged with gear hanging over the side.

“We do know he’s got a very severely injured back and we believe that he’s very restricted in his ability to maneuver. We also know he’s having difficulty keeping fluids down.”

Conditions were reasonably good for the area with a southwesterly wind blowing at up 46 kph (29 mph) and a 3-metre (10-foot) swell, Mr Gaden said.

“It’s one of the most remote areas on the planet almost equidistant from any of the search and rescue facilities,” Mr Gaden said.

“At the moment, our indications are that it is upright and floating high in the water, however at any moment a wave could push one of the damaged masts into the vessel and compromise its integrity,” he added.

Commander Tomy, 39, was keeping in contact with rescue authorities through texts, but batteries on his two devices were running low.

The French crew plans to take Commander Tomy to a French research facility on Amsterdam Island 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the north. There is a doctor and small hospital on the island.

An Australian navy frigate HMAS Ballarat had left the Australian port of Fremantle on Saturday and was expected to reach Amsterdam Island on Friday, Gaden said.

The Ballarat would then take the sailor to Fremantle for hospital treatment.

Another sailor in the Golden Globe Race, Irishman Gregor McGuckin, had also lost his mast on Friday near Commander Tomy and would also be rescued.