KOCHI: Amidst the mood of anguish and anger prevailing in the coastal areas regarding the fate of missing persons, 19 boats carrying 210 fishermen which ventured into the sea before Cyclone Ockhi swept past Kerala coast, returned safely on Thursday. According to the Fisheries Department as many as 251 boats have returned from the sea till date. However there is no information regarding the whereabouts of 14 other boats.
Meanwhile, three vessels of the Fisheries Department, CMFRI and Marine Enforcement Wing which ventured into the sea five days ago in search of missing fishermen returned on Thursday.
The team failed to locate the missing boats. The identity of three fishermen among the nine bodies recovered from Ernakulam coast have been established. The body of Selvaraj, 38, of Lovu Colony in Thiruvananthapuram, kept at Thripunithura Government Hospital was established on Thursday.
The sanitation drive in the coastal villages devastated by the sea surge continued on Thursday also. As many as 148 toilets in Vypeen were destroyed in the sea surge. The relief workers sanitised 12 houses in the area.
Meanwhile, the sanitation team visited 403 houses in Chellanam area. Health awareness classes were held at four places in the village. A review meeting of disaster relief operations was held at the Joint Operations Centre at the Naval base on Thursday. District Collector Mohammed Y Safeerulla and officers from Navy, Fisheries and Revenue departments participated.