RAMANATHAPURAM: A day after two fishermen went missing at sea after their boat capsized, rescue teams of the fisheries department recovered the body of one fisherman on Wednesday.
The victim was identified as Emerit (49) of Rameswaram.
Reportedly, on Tuesday, an unregistered boat from Rameswaram capsized in Indian waters due to rough seas.
Of the four-member crew, two fishermen swam to Katchatheevu and were later rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy and handed over to the Indian Embassy officials, while two others went missing.
Based on a request from the fisheries department, INS Parundu and the Coast Guard conducted searches, but the fishers could not be traced on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a seven-member team of fishermen, accompanied by a marine enforcement wing constable, ventured into the sea in search of the missing fishermen and found Emerit’s body.
Official sources from the fisheries department said that the search for the other fisherman will continue on Thursday.
Emerit’s body was brought to Rameswaram and will be handed over to his family after a postmortem examination.
Meanwhile, fishermen’s associations urged action to find the missing fisherman and also urged the state government to provide compensation to the kin of the deceased fisher.
CITU Fishing Workers Association leader Karunamoorthi stated that on August 1, a boat capsized after it was rammed into by a Sri Lankan Navy patrol vessel, and the whereabouts of one missing fisherman are unknown.
He requested the government to provide fuel and permission for the fishermen to conduct search operations near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).