VIJAYAWADA: In a major relief to anxious families and State authorities, seven fishermen from Ambedkar Konaseema district who went missing in the Bay of Bengal earlier this month have been traced safe off the West Bengal coast, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Kinjarapu Atchannaidu confirmed on Wednesday.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep satisfaction over their safe rescue, and commended the rescue teams and administrative machinery for their relentless search efforts.
The fishermen—identified as Ramakrishna from Komaragiripatnam, Tatarao from Kakinada, Satish Kumar from I Polavaram, along with Srinu, Kantha Rao, Yesudas, and Ramudu from Odalarevu—ventured into the sea from the Odalarevu Fish Landing Centre in Allavaram mandal on August 3.
Concerns mounted after their vessel failed to return on its scheduled date of August 12. Communication was completely severed on August 10 after their mobile phones and VHF communication sets stopped working due to a technical snag in the boat, causing it to drift off course in strong sea currents. Family members alerted the Fisheries Department on August 17.
The Chief Minister conducted three high-level review meetings to monitor the rescue operation in real time.
Seven Konaseema fishermen in good health; speak to families
Instructing search teams to proceed without losing hope, Naidu dispatched Cabinet Ministers to ground zero to oversee operations firsthand.
Konaseema District Collector Mahesh Kumar Ravirala and Superintendent of Police Rahul Meena visited Odalarevu to interact with the distressed families and arrange localised search vessels.
Following executive directives, a multi-agency search operation was coordinated with the Union Government, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Central Marine Police, AP Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS), and the Fisheries Department.
Search teams deployed three localised search boats, two Navy helicopters, and five Coast Guard vessels, conducting intensive sea and air patrols along Visakhapatnam and Odisha coastline.
Operating on predictive drift analysis indicating that the vessel had drifted northeast, the State machinery alerted West Bengal Coast Guard units and local fishermen at the Shankarpur Fishing Harbour. The targeted strategy paid off when the boat and all seven crew members were safely secured near Shankarpur.
Direct communication established with Bhavani Prasad, brother of the boat owner, confirmed that all seven crew members were uninjured, in good health, and had been facilitated to speak with their families back home.
Following the rescue of fishermen, the Chief Minister and the Collector confirmed that constant coordination is being maintained with West Bengal officials to take all necessary measures for the safe and immediate transit of all seven fishermen back to their native villages in Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh.