THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The search operation for three fishermen who have been missing since July 31 entered its ninth day on Saturday.
Alongside boats and drones, helicopters and vessels of the Coast Guard are reportedly engaged in the search.
The fishermen were reported missing following separate fishing boat mishaps in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts.
Amid intensifying stir, the State government on Friday reached out to the families of the missing fishermen in an effort to address their grievances and defuse the protests, a report said.
The search operation is being carried out in the Vizhinjam and Muthalapozhi areas of Thiruvananthapuram district and Neendakara in Kollam district.
Gautam Krishna
Gautam Krishna (26) of Puthenthura went missing after a fishing boat capsized at Neendakara on July 31.
Gautam's father, Radhakrishnan (48), and grandfather, Rajeevan (74), who were also on the fishing boat, died in the mishap.
Following a protest by Gautam's mother Reshma, the search operation was intensified from Friday with additional Coastal Police boats deployed and Coast Guard helicopters and drones being used in the search, officials said.
John Mathias
Meanwhile, the Vizhinjam Coastal Police are continuing the search for John Mathias (54) of Pulluvila, who went missing in a separate boat mishap off the Thiruvananthapuram coast on July 31.
Officials at the Vizhinjam Coastal Police Station said the search would be expanded to more areas on Saturday.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan spoke to the daughter of John Mathias over the phone on Friday and assured her that the search would be intensified to locate her father.
Shijin
The search for Shijin (32), who went missing after a fishing boat capsized off Muthalapozhi on July 31, also resumed on Saturday morning.
Officials at Anchuthengu Coastal Police Station said that the search has been underway since morning with the assistance of the Marine Enforcement Wing of the Fisheries Department.
Shijin's family members had staged a protest by sitting on the rain-soaked road near the Anchuthengu Coastal Police Station, alleging that proper search operations were not being carried out to trace him.
Later, Transport Minister C P John visited the residence of the missing fisherman and assured the family that the search would be intensified.
The minister also accepted the family's demand to include 10 fishermen in the search operation from Saturday.
Opposition target UDF govt
The Opposition has been targeting the UDF government, alleging lethargy in the search operations, while the DYFI staged a protest at the Kollam Collectorate on Friday.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council has also demanded that the state government strengthen search and rescue mechanisms for fishermen.
According to a report, a total of 469 fishermen died and 160 others went missing off the Kerala coast over the last 11 years, according to figures released by the state Fisheries Minister's office on Friday.
(With inputs from PTI)
