Ramanathapuram: The two fishermen from Pudukottai district, who went missing after their boat capsized when they were fishing on the high seas on January 21, drowned and their bodies were washed ashore near Azhagankulam and Uchipuli near here on Sunday.
On being alerted by the local people, Marine Police of Coastal Security Group (CSG) recovered the bodies and handed them over to their family members after the post-mortem conducted at Ramanathapuram Government Headquarters Hospital.
The bodies were highly decomposed, and the identity of the two – Backyaraj (40) and Vingeswaran (19) – was established with the help of the family members, P.S. Ramesh Kumar, Inspector of Police, said.
The family members of the two fishermen, accompanied by a group of fishermen from Kottaipattinam, visited the hospital mortuary and identified the bodies, he said.
The two fishermen, along with another fisherman, Vijayakumar, had set out for fishing from Kottaipattinam in a fishing boat.
The boat capsized after water seeped in through a hole. The fishermen clung on to kerosene and diesel cans in a bid to stay afloat. While Vijayakumar managed to reach the shore, Backyaraj and Vingeswaran went missing, the police said.
