CHENNAI: With seven bodies recovered and two fishermen still missing, there is little festive cheer in Kasimedu, where families of the nine-member crew of the ill-fated fishing trawler Sri Sengalamman await the conclusion of search operations following severe cyclone Murasu.
Meanwhile, questions are mounting over why the boat remained outside Nizampatnam harbour despite cyclone warnings, as well as an alleged communication gap between the fisheries departments of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
According to accounts from the fishing community, the trawler and another fishing boat had anchored outside Nizampatnam after securing a relatively good catch. Fishermen generally need to cast their nets by around 5 am to make the most of their fishing window.
The crew reportedly wanted to make another attempt at fishing early the following morning rather than spend around three-and-a-half hours travelling into the harbour and back to the fishing grounds.
However, the decision proved fatal when Cyclone Murasu battered the coast. According to the account shared by a fishing boat owner, the crew had communicated over VHF radio and were aware of the cyclone warning. The owner had reportedly advised them to return to safety. The boats nevertheless remained outside.
Water subsequently began entering the boats amid the rough seas, and the fishermen reportedly communicated their distress over VHF radio. What happened after that remains unclear.
The Coast Guard, in its clarification on Saturday, said Sri Sengalamman had left Nizampatnam on the night of November 2, as the cyclone was crossing the coast. It suggested the crew might have mistaken the temporary lull caused by the passage of the cyclone’s eye for the storm having moved away, without realising that its rear half was yet to pass.
The Coast Guard said it received information about the missing boat around noon on November 3 and launched search operations within hours, deploying an aircraft from Chennai and a ship from Krishnapatnam. On November 5, a Coast Guard vessel spotted a submerged green-hulled boat believed to be Sri Sengalamman and recovered two bodies nearby. Five other bodies were reported to have washed ashore at Kothapatnam.
The tragedy has also exposed a possible breakdown in inter-state coordination. A senior Prakasam district official told TNIE the Tamil Nadu fisheries department had not informed Andhra Pradesh authorities about the presence of Tamil Nadu fishing boats out of Nizampatnam harbour.
Had such information been shared, officials could have tracked the vessels, alerted the fishermen and advised them to move to safer locations, the official said. Andhra Pradesh routinely tracks its fishing boats during cyclones, he added.
A Tamil Nadu fisheries department official told TNIE that the absence of ISRO’s navigation transponder in the vessel was a huge handicap in knowing the exact location of the boat. “We will be inspecting all the vessels and ensuring the transponders are periodically maintained and operational.”
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition and DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, on Saturday, visited the families of eight fishermen and offered his condolences. Udhayanidhi paid floral tributes to portraits of the deceased and provided financial assistance to the families on behalf of DMK.Speaking to reporters, Udhayanidhi Stalin urged the government to increase compensation, provide a government job to one member of each affected family and ensure adequate insurance coverage for fishermen.