THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Adding to the confusion surrounding the number of fishermen still missing in the wake of cyclone Ockhi, the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday said 201 men were still stranded at sea. Of this, 108 men had gone out in traditional boats and there was grave concern regarding their fate, Fr Eugene Pereira, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, told reporters here.The archdiocese has come out with its figures on the missing fishermen at a time when the state government has announced that 92 men were yet to be traced. According to the archdiocese, more than 200 fishermen were still marooned in boats and country crafts at sea. Central facilities as well as assistance of the Air Force and the Navy should be stepped up to trace them and bring them back, the archdiocese said.
The Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council has demanded that cyclone Ockhi should be declared a national calamity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should tour the affected areas, said the council, which has Archbishop M Soosa Pakiam as its president.
The council also demanded that the state government should urgently convene an all-party meet to assess the situation. The government should despatch an all-party delegation to New Delhi and submit a memorandum outlining the demands for compensation and rehabilitation, the council said. It also urged the public to use the Human Rights Day observance on December 10 to declare solidarity with the grieving coastal communities.
Three bodies fished out off Kochi
Kochi: The Marine Enforcement squad, which is carrying out rescue and relief operations in the Arabian Sea in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi, on Tuesday spotted three bodies off Kochi which have since been brought ashore. After being brought to Vypeen boat jetty, the bodies were taken to Ernakulam General Hospital for autopsy. The identity of the deceased is yet to be established. Officers said two of the corpses were spotted near Njarakkal while the third was fished out from the waters off Chavakkad. The first body was recovered around 2.30 pm when the officers spotted a dead body floating in the ocean. Following this, a search in and around the area led to the recovery of the other two bodies.
Preliminary investigations suggested the deceased might have lost their life in a mid-sea mishap involving a fishing vessel which went down in inclement weather. However, there is no clarity yet on the number of persons killed in the accident. “A comprehensive search operation will be carried out in the coming days,” the officers said. Since December 1, the Marine Enforcement has been carrying out search and rescue operations off Kochi.
DNA test to be held to identify bodies
Thiruvananthapuram:The government has initiated steps to identify the bodies of fishermen that are beyond recognition through DNA test, with the authorities collecting blood samples of the relatives of the missing fishermen. As many as 10 of the 16 bodies brought to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College are yet to be identified. ‘’Sixteen bodies were brought to the Medical College Hospital. Six were identified. Though some of the remaining bodies were identified by the relatives through some marks and tattoo description, forensic experts feel DNA test is needed to scientifically identify the bodies,’’ Thiruvananthapuram Medical College superintendent Dr M S Sharmad said.
Of the 10 bodies, four have been kept in the mortuary of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, four at the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital and two at the Medical College Hospital. He said they would release the body as per the police report. ‘’Of the four bodies identified on Tuesday, there was confusion regarding one of the bodies and it was not released to the relatives. Though they identified the body by the tattoo on the body, the forensic experts were of the opinion a DNA test was needed,’’ he said. The DNA examination is being done at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB). A source said the RGCB has made all preparations to complete the procedure in a time-bound manner. Moreover, the government has also asked the institute not to delay the test.
Search for missing boat continues, Twelve days on
Kozhikode: Twelve days after the boat ‘Miransha’ from Beypore went missing off Kerala coast with 24 fishermen on board, efforts are on to locate the vessel. The Coast Guard unit at Beypore said all details pertaining to the missing boat and fishermen have been passed on to the Coast Guard at New Mangalore Port, which is trying to locate the boat. The boat owned by Adbul Salim had gone for fishing off the Beypore coast on November 22. Of the 24 fishermen on board, 22 are from Kanyakumari and two from West Bengal.
An officer at the Coast Guard station, Beypore, said a couple of fishing boats from Beypore have anchored at various ports in Karnataka after Cyclone Ockhi, but no information on ‘Miransha’ was available. “We have information the fishermen of another boat ‘Samak’ saw the fishermen of ‘Miransha’ near Malpe port in Karnataka. It was based on this input we have communicated with the Coast Guard at New Mangalore Port. They have launched a search operation for the missing boat,” the officer said.
Coast Guard locates six fishing boats; one with 14 Malayalees
Kochi:The Coast Guard on Tuesday located six fishing boats off Mitra Island, Lakshadweep, including a boat with 14 fishermen from Kerala. Information from Coast Guard’s regional headquarters in Mumbai said the ship ICGS Samrat was at the site and rescued the fishermen. The other five boats have fishermen from Tamil Nadu. Neeraj Tiwari, Chief DIG, said 10 Coast Guard ships were still in the sea and four dornier aircraft and a helicopter were involved in rescue activities.