The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), which had retrieved bodies of three of the four fishermen who drowned after their boat capsized in the sea off Mallipattinam, ended its week-long search operation on Monday with the recovery of the body of the fourth fisherman.
As ICG vessels and local fishermen deployed by Fisheries department were engaged in the search operation, the body of A. Lankeswaran, 20, was washed ashore in the marshy area at Maravakadu in Thanjavur district on Monday, officials said.
As the body was highly decomposed, doctors performed a post-mortem on the shore itself. Family members buried the body at Mallipattinam after performing the rituals.
The officials identified the deceased fishermen as G. Madan, 26, R. Kanthakumar, 23, R. Umakanth, 19, and A. Lankeswaran, 20. The ICG had retrieved the bodies of Madan and Kanthakumar on Saturday and the body of Umakanth on Sunday.
Ten country boat fishermen were sailing from Cuddalore to Rameswaram in a newly purchased vessel when it capsized off Mallipattinam due to rough sea on September 3. Two fishermen were rescued by local fishermen the same day, and four others were rescued by the ICG on September 5.
The ICG deployed three ships, including one from Karaikal, and launched a search operation. An ICG Dornier aircraft from Chennai and a Chetak helicopter from INS Parundu, the Indian Naval Air Station at Uchipuli, coordinated the operation with aerial searches.
Expressing dismay over the death of four fishermen, Traditional Fishermen Federation coordinator S. Chinnathambi urged the government to pay compensation of ₹20 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Pointing out that Madan, one of the deceased fishermen, left behind his wife and two young children, he urged the authorities to provide a government job to his wife.
