KOCHI: The Coast Guard has deployed a ship and a helicopter for search and rescue operation as a fishing boat capsized off Nattika harbour in Thrissur late on Sunday night.
According to the fisheries department, the sea was rough and a search vessel of the department had to return due to inclement weather. There were six fishermen in the boat and the contact was lost around 4 am.
The fishing boat, Mahalaxmi, owned by Shafi and Nazar of Ponnani, had ventured for fishing on Friday and was returning to the coast, when water started entering the boat. The fishermen contacted their friends at Ponnani harbour who alerted the fisheries department.
As the rescue boat of the department could not reach the spot, the authorities alerted the marine enforcement wing in Kochi and the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard vessel and Marine Enforcement boat rushed to the spot but could not locate the capsized boat. A helicopter of the Coast Guard also is conducting search in the area.
According to boat owner Shafi , there were six fishermen including his partner Nazar in the boat. "The boat had gone to Kollam coast and was returning with the catch when water started entering the boat through a hole. We alerted the fisheries authorities but they didn't respond till morning. The fishermen were frantically calling over mobile phone for help but we couldn't do anything. After 4 pm we lost contact as the phones got switched off," he told The New Indian Express.
The fishermen in the boat were identified as Nazar, Shefeer, Munavir, Kunjanbava, Subair and an Assam native. "Malappuram fisheries deputy director had alerted us at 10 pm and we immediately deployed a team for rescue operation. But they had to return duye to rough sea conditions. The boat capsized around 3 nautical miles off Edamuttom beach near Chettuva in Thrissur district," said Thrissur fisheries deputy director Sugatha Kumari.
Meanwhile, a country craft capsized off Vellayil beach in Kozhikode district early on Monday morning. All the five fishermen in the boat were rescued by coastal police. Heavy rain continued to lash Northern Kerala on Monday morning leading to water logging in low lying areas. An Air Arabia flight from Sharjah
to Kozhikode was diverted to Kochi due to bad weather. The flight returned at 8.45 am.