NAGAPATTINAM: At least two fishermen were injured after a Coast Guard ship on patrol duty hit their boat in the middle of the sea on Monday night. The injured fishermen were identified as Mahalingam (60) and Chellamani (30), both residents of Pushpavanam Fishermen Street in Vedaranyam.
“They, along with two others, had gone into the sea on Monday evening. Their boat was hit by a patrol ship of the Coast Guard around 11.30 pm when they were fishing near 7 nautical miles east of Pushpavanam,” the police said.
The other two fishermen on board rescued Mahalingam, but Chellamani went missing. Two hours later, a few fishermen fishing nearby spotted him crying out for help and rescued him. The fishermen returned to the shore on Tuesday and were rushed to the Vedaranyam Government Hospital. Coast Guard officials visited the victims at the hospital and apologised for the incident. Although the boat did not suffer any major damage, the engine on the rear side took a hit.