A fisherman drowned about four nautical miles off New Harbour Beach here when the country boat carrying five fishermen capsized due to rough weather on Friday night.
The police said the fishermen, who had ventured into the sea from Terespuram for ‘stay fishing,’ were forced to return to their base on Thursday night following rough weather. While they were returning, the boat began to sink in the rough sea and the fishermen sent SOS from their wireless set in the hope of getting help from nearby boats or Coastal Security Group police.
“Within the next 30 minutes, our boat started sinking with fish worth ₹1 lakh we caught for three days. In a bid to save our lives, we emptied the drinking water barrels and tied them together to keep us afloat. J. Kennedy (43) of Lourdhammalpuram could not cope with the situation and drank a large quantity of water. Though we were rescued by a boat and we rushed Kennedy to a hospital on reaching the shore, he died on the way,” said Venislaus, one of the fishermen. The body was sent to Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.
Owner of the capsized boat, Jesuraja of Poobalarayarpuram, has sent some boats to salvage his vessel, reportedly worth ₹30 lakh.
