NAGERCOIL: Relatives of the two Colachel fishermen, victims of a ship-boat collision off Mangalore coast on Tuesday, demanded action against the ship and its sailors.
In her petition to the fisheries minister and the collector, D Sumathi from Colachel said her husband, Alexander (38), and father, Dhason (64), and 12 others ventured into the sea from Bepore in Kerala last Sunday (April 11) on board IFB Rabah, a mechanised boat. Off the Mangalore coast, a Singaporean cargo ship allegedly hit the boat.
Urging the authorities to find the missing fishermen, she demanded that the ship and its sailors be taken into custody and register a murder case against the company.
Kanniyakumari-based Meenavar Orunginappu Sangam also requested the authorities to take custody of the ship until justice is served to the families of the fishermen.
According to the fisheries department, seven fishermen from Tamil Nadu and seven from West Bengal had gone fishing on board the boat. Of the seven Tamil Nadu fishermen, two are from Colachel, one from Thoothukudi, and four from Ramanathapuram.
In the collision, three fishermen died (two from Colachel, one from West Bengal). The coast guard rescued two fishermen (One each from Ramanathapuram and West Bengal. The remaining fishermen are yet to be found.