KOCHI: “The boat capsized near the mouth of the river and there was heavy flow to the sea that made swimming very difficult. Though the shore was only one-and-a-half km away we could not swim as the strong current was pulling us away. I clung onto a container while Baiju and Maniyan caught hold of the other. I could see one of my friends swimming around 30 m away till sunset.
After that everyone disappeared and I clung on to the container tightly praying for God’s mercy. We waited for around four-and-a-half hours when the fishing boat arrived,” said Anandan alias Francis Xavier of Andhakaranazhi in Alappuzha, one of the three fishermen who miraculously escaped after the boat capsized.
The five fishermen from Malippuram - Mohanan, Shaji, Sarath, Maniyan and Baiju - had purchased fish from the in-board engine vessel Samrudhi and were returning to their village when the fibre boat capsized. “It was overloading that caused the accident. As we started sailing towards the shore, water started entering the boat. I and Raju of Pallithodu boarded the fibre boat to collect the money after selling the catch,” said Anandan.
“The boat started tilting to one side when we started sailing towards the shore. But we never thought it would sink. There was heavy flow from the river and there was heavy wind. As the boat sunk we all drifted away and got separated,” said Maniyan, who is recuperating at the Ernakulam General Hospital.
“The sea was rough and the fisheries department had advised against venturing into the sea. But the fishermen are forced to go for work risking their lives, due to utter poverty. As per a study, 54 fishermen die during work in Kerala every year. The government should provide financial aid to fishermen for the days when fishing is banned due to rough weather,” said Fishermen Coordination Committee president Charles George.