THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The body of a 65-year-old fisherman, who went missing in the sea after the boat capsized last Tuesday, was found washed ashore near South Thumba on Saturday morning. The deceased is Francis Alphonse of Thumba.
The Thumba police said the body was found at a nearby beach around 8 AM by local fishermen. The body, found in a decomposed state, was shifted to the morgue of the medical college hospital for post-mortem examination.
Francis went missing after the boat capsized, along with four other fishermen on the Thumba coast, following rough weather and strong waves. Though the others swam to safety, the sexagenarian was swept away by the strong undercurrents. Though fishermen, coastal police and coast guard conducted search operations, they couldn’t trace him.
Two hurt as another boat capsizes at Muthalapozhi
Meanwhile, another fishing boat carrying six fishermen capsized in Muthalapozhi due to strong sea waves on Saturday morning. The fishermen were rescued immediately by other fishermen and the coastal police. Two among them, Babu and Christydas, both natives of Anchuthengu, were injured. The duo was taken to the Chirayinkeezhu taluk hospital.
The incident took place around 7.30 AM when the fishermen ventured into the sea for fishing. The boat capsized due to strong waves when it reached the breakwater. This is the fourth such incident in the last two weeks. Earlier, Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian had instructed fishermen to refrain from fishing at Muthalapozhi for a while due to unfavourable weather conditions.
On July 11, four fishermen were killed in a boat accident at Muthalapozhi. The incident triggered a tiff between the state government and the Latin Church authorities after the ministers arrived at the spot and had a verbal duel with fishermen and priests.
The standoff was later resolved through talks. Local fisherfolk and the relatives of the fishermen had alleged that authorities were reluctant to resolve the recurring deaths at Muthalapozhi.