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New Indian Express

Two boats drift into Lanka waters; efforts on to rescue 22 fisherfolk

THOOTHUKUDI: Two mechanised fishing vessels and an Indian Coast Guard ship were deployed on Sunday to retrieve two fishing boats that had drifted into Sri Lankan waters after suffering engine failure mid-sea. According to local fishermen, a mechanised gill netter owned by a fisherman named Athirstakumar had set out to sea on June 27 with 11 crew members onboard. The vessel became stranded about 38 nautical miles off the Kanniyakumari coast due to an engine failure. An initial rescue attempt was launched on Saturday, with another mechanised trawler from Thoothukudi fishing harbour carrying 11 fishermen to aid the stranded vessel. However, that attempt failed when the second vessel also suffered a technical malfunction and became immobilised. The fishermen said that both the vessels were unable to withstand the water current and high wind speed and they drifted past the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) into the Sri Lankan territorial waters. Following a plea from the Tharuvaikulam Fishermen Association, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan directed immediate action. Based on her instructions, two additional mechanised fishing boats, each carrying seven fishermen from Thoothukudi harbour, were dispatched on Sunday to rescue the stranded vessels. An Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship is escorting the two rescue boats to ensure the safe retrieval of the fishing vessels and the fishermen onboard. A senior official confirmed that the ICG is actively coordinating the rescue operation. "The two vessels are believed to have crossed the IMBL. The ICG has alerted the Sri Lankan authorities and is working to locate and bring back the fishermen safely," he said.