Tamil Nadu fishermen rescue Sri Lankan stranded in sea for nine days
NAGAPATTINAM: A 41-year-old Sri Lankan fisherman who was found lying unconscious in a boat drifting in the sea off Nagapattinam coast was rescued by fishers from the district and brought to shore on Friday. The rescued fisherman was stranded in sea for nine days following his vessel developing a snag, sources said.
The Sri Lankan national has been identified as Ahamed Irfan of Trincomalee. According to sources, a group of 11 fishermen from Akkaraipettai ventured into sea from the Nagapattinam harbour in a deep-sea fishing boat on July 24. The vessel was registered under the name of N Gowthaman, who is chairman of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation (TFDC).
On July 29, the group was fishing in the Bay of Bengal around a 100 nautical miles east of Velankanni when the fishers spotted Irfan lying unconscious in a motorised boat. On enquiries, Irfan identified himself and told the fishermen that he was stranded following the boat snag. The Nagapattinam fishermen then helped Irfan board their vessel and provided him food and water. They then tethered the Sri Lankan’s boat to their vessel and returned to shore.
“The Sri Lankan stated that he and his partner, Ashwin, put out to sea from Trincomalee on July 19. Their boat, however, developed the snag in a day, he said. After their supplies exhausted soon, they waited for days to be rescued,” a fisheries department official said. Irfan suspects his partner to have fallen off or to have jumped into sea to swim and seek help when he lay unconscious, the official added.
After rescuing the Sri Lankan, the Nagapattinam fishermen returned to shore early on Friday and informed the authorities. Irfan was taken to the Government Medical College Hospital.
Irfan, against whom a case has been registered at the Marine Police Station in Keelaiyur under the Maritime Zones of India Act, will be produced before the metropolitan magistrate court in Chennai.
Fishermen launch protest
Ramanathapuram: Members of the Rameswaram All Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association launched an indefinite strike on Friday, demanding the state government make efforts to find Ramachandran, the fisherman who went missing after a Sri Lankan patrol vessel rammed an Indian boat on Thursday. The association also urged for the release of 87 fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy since 2018. The fishermenassociation demanded the state take action against the Lankan navy which destroyed the fishermen’s belongings and boats.