The Coast Guard on Friday recovered the body of one of the four missing fishermen in the boat that capsized around 50 nautical miles off the Beypore coast. Coast Guard sources said the body, reportedly of a Nagarcoil native, would be brought to Beypore early on Saturday for identification.
Coast Guard ship Abhinav from Kochi and a smaller vessel from Beypore had been pressed into service for the search operation. A dornier aircraft had also been used to carry out aerial search in the area.
Fisheries Deputy Director Mariyam Haseena said all the six persons in the capsized boats were Nagarcoil natives. “As per the official communication, the body would be brought to Beypore by around 1 a.m. on Saturday. Ann Mary, a local fishing boat, has been arranged to bring the body,” she said.
The Coast Guard managed to trace the first victim after a 10-hour continuous search in the sea. They also denied reports that the divers found spotted one more body from the sea and had identified the victims.
Meanwhile, the two fishermen, who were rescued by a local fishing boat from Puthiyappa, stood by their claim that the fishing boat capsized after it was rammed by a ship on Wednesday. The two, who were brought to Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, were discharged after being administered first aid on Thursday.
The Beypore Coastal police said they had registered a First Information Report on the basis of the statement of the two rescued fishermen that the boat was rammed by a ship. Investigation would begin into the incident after identifying the victims, they said.
Police sources said the fishers were clueless about the type of ship that reportedly caused the accident. They also confirmed that steps were under way to trace the details of all ships that passed through the channel on the day of the incident.
