Representative image
The nine fishermen, including boat driver Pakkirisami alias Surya, 49, left Kasimedu fishing harbour on Oct 29. When they left Nizampatnam for Ramayapatnam on the night of Nov 2, the boat’s engine failed while at sea. At around 3am on Nov 3, another fishing boat relayed information about the engine failure and the vessel’s location through wireless communication. Tamil Nadu fisheries department officials, led by assistant engineer John B, travelled to Nellore with 13 relatives of the missing fishermen to identify the recovered bodies.
Following a weather warning issued by the Tamil Nadu fisheries department, they took shelter at Nizampatnam fishing harbour in Andhra Pradesh. No further contact was established with the missing boat. Two bodies remained unidentified as they were badly disfigured. The search for the remaining missing fishermen is still on. Meanwhile, relatives held a road blockade outside Kasimedu fishing harbour police station, accusing authorities of failing to respond promptly.