Chennai: Nine fishermen from Kasimedu, Tamil Nadu, went missing after their vessel refused to work due to an engine failure during Cyclone Murasu, according to a tweet from News Arena India. The men who went fishing from Kasimedu fishing harbour lost contact with the rest amid the rough weather conditions, local fishermen said to PTI.
The group ventured for deep-sea fishing on October 29 in a vessel registered as TN 02 MM 2584, which is under the ownership of a local fisherman identified as Selvalagan.
According to Sathish Kumar, a local fisherman, the missing boat lost communication at 3 pm on November 3. He also added that the boat was warned to return to shore after a harsh weather condition alert. But unfortunately, they couldn't make it to the coast. "Up until 3 pm yesterday, we had communication with them. They said they could not return and had dropped anchor," Kumar said. "But this morning, Saravanan and Surya, the drivers of the nearby boat, informed us that the vessel was no longer at its anchored spot," he added.
The fishing community filed a formal complaint to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, the Coast Guard and the state ministers, following the men’s disappearance.
"We have submitted letters to the Coast Guard and the state government, but we have not received any information yet. The family members are highly distressed. We request the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate action and deploy Coast Guard ships and helicopters to rescue the nine men," added Kumar.
(With agency inputs from PTI)
