TN: Fishing boat capsizes in sea, two fishermen missing

Chennai, Aug 27 (IANS) A Rameswaram mechanical boat capsized near Katchatheevu Island, Sri Lanka on Tuesday in which two fishermen went missing, an official said.

“Of the four fishermen, one swam to safety, the second one was rescued by the Sri Lankan navy while the search for two missing fishermen is underway,” the officials of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department said.They identified the fishermen as Dalwin Raj (45), Emerit (48), Suresh (49) and Muniandhi (55). The fishermen belonged to the Rameswaram and Thangachimadam regions of Tamil Nadu.The Fisheries Department said that the fishers had not obtained the token from the department and the mechanised boat was also not registered, both are mandatory.Sri Lankan authorities said that during a foot patrol, the Naval detachment encountered a man, who had swam to the shore. Based on his confession, the Naval officials found that the boat had capsized due to rough seas and he was washed ashore on the Katchatheevu.The Sri Lankan Navy deployed its small craft and rescued a fisherman from a potential watery grave. The two rescued fishermen were in good health and arrangements were being made to transfer them to the Indian authorities.The search and rescue efforts for the remaining two Indian fishermen, despite challenging sea conditions, are underway. –IANS aal/dan