Five fishing boats, including a large one operated by 45 fishermen, were destroyed in strong winds at Tanur harbour in the early hours of Tuesday.
The boats belonged to different fishermen from Parappanangadi and Chettippadi areas. The large fishing vessel, Twayyib, belonged to a group led by E.K. Abdul Razak. The loss to that vessel alone is reported to be around ₹1.2 crore. While the boat costs ₹60 lakh, two sets of nets cost about ₹50 lakh. Several machines, including radio and navigation equipment, were lost in the sea.
“We had anchored the boat at the harbour when we finished work at 5 p.m. on Monday,” said K.C. Gafoor, one of the fishermen in the boat. He said the boat broke its anchor around 1.30 a.m. in the strong wind and was destroyed after it hit a granite wall. “We were alerted around 2.30 a.m. When we came, the rough waves had carried the boat to the wall, and it was broken,” said Mr. Gafoor.
The fishermen approached the government seeking compensation under the floods category. The Fisheries Department officials examined the boat and assessed the loss.
