Two fishermen from Nagapattinam were reported missing and one from Cuddalore and another from Puducherry was seriously injured after the boat in which they were sailing collided with another in the sea off Qatar on Tuesday. There were 11 fishermen on board the boat at the time of the accident.
While the rest of the crew of the ill- fated boat returned to shores, the two fishermen hailing from Nagapattinam district were feared drowned after the accident.
According to fishermen sources, the two fishermen identified as Kaliyaperumal (35) son of Ramasamy, hailing from Tsunami colony near Kadambadi locality, and one Selvamani (25) from MGR nagar in Tharangambadi taluk of the district had flown to Qatar three months ago through a private agent in Cuddalore.
On Monday, 11 fishermen, including two from Nagapattinam, 5 from Cuddalore and one from Puducherry, had ventured into the sea from Qatar shores on Tuesday. It is said that their boat suffered severe damage after it collided with another. With nine of the fishermen in the crew managing to reach the shores by hanging on to the debris of the boat, the fate of two from Nagapattinam were not known and it is feared that they might have drowned.
Following the accident, the families of the missing fishermen here were told about the incident on Wednesday.
The families have requested the State and Central governments to assist them in getting the real position of the fishermen
The condition of the Puducherry fishermen, who been admitted in ICU of a hospital, is serious. One fishermen from Cuddalore is hospitalised with shoulder injuries.