KOCHI: November 29, 2017: Michael, 44, had just returned from the sea as the fisheries authorities issued a warning about a very severe cyclone. The sea was very rough and the waves were rising dangerously high. Michael joined his friends who were trying to salvage the boats anchored at Poonthura harbour. Suddenly a tidal wave overturned a boat.
Fellow fishermen found him unconscious between two boats. He was rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College where doctors said there was a clot in his brain. Two surgeries and months of hospitalisation later, Michael remains bedridden.
“The government has given compensation to the relatives of the fishermen who died or went missing. But there are many people like my uncle who got incapacitated and are unable to support their family. The government gave Rs 20,000 for injured persons. The hospital expense s ran into lakhs. We are struggling for livelihood,” said his nephew Selvadas.