THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In yet another sea accident, a 55-year-old fisherman died on Thursday after the boat he was travelling in capsized near the Anchuthengu coast. The deceased has been identified as Moses Alby. Three other fishermen who were also on board, namely Vincent, Jerone, and Socrates, managed to swim to safety.According to Nelson Isaac, a local resident, the fishermen were returning home after fishing in the deep sea, when the boat capsized due to a strange wave formation about 200m away from the Anchuthengu coast. “The spot has proved dangerous. It has claimed many lives in the past,” he said.
In fact, as recently as on September 9, three fishermen died at the exact same spot in a similar mishap. A total of six fishermen lost their lives in four separate sea accidents in the district this month. As the sea has been rough over the past few weeks,the disaster management authority had warned the fisherfolk against venturing into the sea. However, the fishing community blamed the unscientific construction of the Muthalapozhi harbour, located south of the Anchuthengu coast, for the strong waves.
“We feel the impact in our fishing villages up to Poonthura. Several lives were lost due to this,” said Valerian Issac, district president of Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation. Meanwhile, National Fish Workers Forum general secretary T Peter urged fishermen to use life jackets as a precaution.