Five fishermen of Nagapattinam district who were reported missing after they set sail for fishing on Wednesday evening were traced near Cuddalore on Thursday.
The fishermen — all from Chinnangudi coastal village near Tranquebar — ventured into the sea in a fibre boat from the landing centre at around 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Official sources said though the fishermen were supposed to return to the shore on Thursday morning, they did not.
The sources said the engine’s propeller shaft developed some snag due to bad weather in the sea and heavy current.
Consequently, the boat drifted towards north, a senior official said.
On information, the Fisheries department sounded an alert to the Coast Guard, the Navy and Marine Rescue Centre regarding the missing fishermen - Adhimoolam, Kalaivanan, Sivalingam, Sivakumar and Anandraj.
The Coast Guard deployed one of its ships in a rescue operation. An aerial survey was also planned to locate the fishermen.
The Fisheries department too arranged for rescue operation by engaging eight country boats. The missing fishermen were finally traced off Parangipettai near Cuddalore, the sources said.
