Thirteeen fishermen from Chinnamuttom fishing harbour in Kanniyakumari district, who went missing after venturing into the sea on Tuesday morning, were traced off Uvari coast of Tirunelveli district, on Thursday evening.
An official from the Department of Fisheries said that a team of fishermen had traced them, some 40 nautical miles off Uvari coast. “They are being brought back to the shore. They are expected to reach here late in the night,” the official said.
Meanwhile, people heaved a sigh of relief, as rain relented to a great extent in Kanniyakumari district, following torrential showers for two days.
Though no loss of life was reported in the district, two brothers who went missing in the Thengaipattinam estuary on Wednesday evening, are yet to be traced.
Following floods in Tamirabharani and Paraliyaaru, 129 families were evacuated from flood-prone areas and accommodated in relief camps. Six houses were fully damaged, while 55 others suffered partial damage. A total of 24 trees and 21 electric poles were uprooted and six mechanised boats and 4 country boats were damaged.
Kanniyakumari Collector Prashant M. Wadanere, assured the people that there was no need to worry about flood or flood-related rumours. People can alert the administration about the floods over the helpline number 1077. He also urged them not to venture into the rivers in spate.
Meanwhile, in Tirunelveli district, an iron bridge at Mudanthurai was submerged under the heavy discharge from Papanasam and Servalar dams, leading to suspension of bus service. Despite a huge inflow of 12,000 cusecs, the PWD officials have maintained water level at the Papanasam Dam at 141 feet (maximum level is 143 feet) since Wednesday night, by discharging the entire inflow.
Meanwhile, vehicular traffic on the Cumbum-Kumily highway was suspended, following a landslide at Kumuli on Thursday evening.
Incessant rains prevented repair works on a portion of the road near Eraichal palam. However, carrying of relief materials to Idukki district in Kerala, was facilitated by the district administration, through the other two ghat routes, from Cumbum Mettu and Bodi Mettu, said Theni Collector, M. Pallavi Baldev.
She said that two houses were partially damaged in Bodi. The district administration was coordinating with the administration in Kerala in helping volunteers reach the right places with relief materials, she said.
