THOOTHUKUDI
Body of T. Keniston (47), a fisherman who died in the onslaught of Cyclone Ockhi, reached Thoothukudi in the early hours of Thursday.
The grief-stricken family members and relatives of the deceased fisherman buried the body here around 8 a.m. Fisheries Department staff helped bring the body from the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode in an ambulance van.
Sources said Keniston left his house at Meenavar Colony here on November 28, 2017, for fishing off Colachel coast, but did not return even after several days. His family was informed that Keniston was one of the six fishermen missing in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi that struck Kanniyakumari on November 30.
The family was in the hope of his safe return, but shocked to learn about his death after the DNA test done on retrieved bodies in Kerala confirmed his identity. The body was kept at the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.
On information, the Fisheries Department officials took his family members to the Kozhikode hospital.
Of the six fishermen from Thoothukudi, who went missing in the cyclone, S. Jagan of Meenavar Colony struggled for survival in the sea and returned home safely. V. Jude (44) of the same colony was declared dead after the DNA test confirmed his identity. His body was handed over to his family members on December 8 and a solatium of ₹20 lakh was given to them.
Three more fishermen – S. Ravindran of Boopalarayapuram, J. Maria Bharath, son of Jude, and S. Joseph of Vannar Street – were still missing and the search for them was on, sources said.
