THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Persistent efforts by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and marine enforcement squad to trace three fishermen who went missing after the boat carrying 23 fishermen capsized off the Perumathura coast could not yield any results on the second day of search operations on Wednesday.
As there were reports that the missing fishers could have been stuck in a fishing net under the accropodes of the breakwater at Muthalapozhi, two cranes were brought to Perumathura to fish out the bodies after shifting the accropodes.
However, they could not take those cranes to the spot from the shore due to its size. The search operations at sea were also interrupted many times due to bad weather conditions and high tide. According to Anchuthengu coastal police, the search operations started at 5.30am and could not find the missing fishermen due to rough sea waves. They said there were strong undercurrents and that the fishermen could have been swept away from here.
The search operations stopped around 6pm on Wednesday due to bad light. Two fishermen died and three others went missing after their boat capsized in the rough waves at Muthalapozhi harbour at Perumathura on Monday. The accident occurred near the groyne in the vicinity of the harbour about 1.50pm.
The deceased are Shanavas, 55, and Nizamudeen, 65, both hailing from Varkala. The boat, ‘Safa Marfa’, is owned by a Varkala native. Initially, there was confusion about the exact number of fishermen on the boat. At night, the coastal police at Anchuthengu said 23 persons were on the boat. Eighteen people could be rescued. Seven persons were rescued by the coastal police boat and the rest by fishermen. The accident occurred at the harbour mouth when the boat was returning to shore. The boat was damaged badly.