Three fishermen were killed when a ship collided with their boat in the early hours of Tuesday, 7 August, in Kerala, The News Minute reported.
The incident occurred at 3 am when 14 men on the boat, from Munambam area of Ernakulam district, were busy fishing off the Kochi coast.
The Coastal Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Sudesh Kumar confirmed to The News Minute that a total of 14 fishermen were present on the boat. The three who were confirmed dead hailed from Tamil Nadu.
Of the 14 fishermen, three have been confirmed dead. At least two among those who sustained injuries are being treated at the Ernakulam General Hospital.Sudesh Kumar, Coastal Additional Director General of Police told TNM
He further added, “The other nine fishermen are missing, but the Coast guard and Navy are doing everything they can to find them”.
Bodies of Three Deceased Identified, ‘Oceanic’ Boat Completely Destroyed
While the authorities are yet to confirm the identities of the people missing in the boat-ship collision, bodies of the three deceased have been identified.
The three fishermen who died were identified as Manakkudy (50), Yuvanathan (45) and Yakoob (57), all hailing from Ramanthurai in Tamil Nadu.Fort Kochi Sub Inspector (SI) told The News Minute
He further added that out of the 14 fishermen, two hail from from West Bengal, one from Kerala and the rest are from Tamil Nadu.
The boat ‘Oceanic’ involved in the accident has been completely destroyed, and the vessel which collided with the boat is believed to be an Indian registered vessel, reported The News Minute quoting a report by The New Indian Express.
Following the accident, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, in a statement, that he has instructed the Ernakulam district collector to take immediate action.
“The Coast Guard and the Navy have been alerted to find the missing fishermen as well as the vessel,” said the Kerala chief minister.
(With inputs from The News Minute.)
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