Two fishermen injured as Panama cargo ship hits boat

The Marine Police in Colachel have booked a case against the crew members of a Panama cargo ship after it allegedly collided with a mechanised fishing boat here two days ago.

Following a complaint from the mechanised boat owner, Rajamani, the police registered a case on Sunday.

According to the complainant, about 17 fishermen were fishing 20 nautical miles off Colachel fishing jetty, when the cargo ship from Panama, reportedly on its way from Singapore to Mumbai, allegedly collided with the mechanised boat.

In the impact, two fishermen, Arulraj of Melamanakudi and John of Colachel, suffered serious injuries, while 15 others escaped with minor and simple injuries. The boat was badly damaged. After the fishermen communicated the development to Indian Coast Guard through a wireless set, they were rescued.

The two seriously injured fishermen were admitted to Kochi Government Hospital, the authorities said, and added that inquiries were on.

Meanwhile, Rev. Fr Churchill of South Asian Fishermen Fraternity condemned the incident and appealed to the Central and State governments to protect the fishermen. The Panama-registered cargo ship should be booked for recklessness and negligence. The authorities should register an attempt to murder case against the ship and should not let it go scot-free.