A young fisherman from the district died on Tuesday night after he was struck by lightning out at sea. The youngster was identified as Satheesh, 17, of Pazhayanada, Anchuthengu.
Heavy thunderstorms had lashed Thiruvananthapuram district throughout Tuesday evening and night, and the sea was also rough.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. around five kilometres off the Anchuthengu coast, according to the Coastal Police, Anchuthengu. Satheesh and four others had gone out for fishing in a small boat.
The young fisherman was reportedly standing upright in the vessel when the lightning struck. None of the others was injured. The body has been transferred to the Taluk Hospital in Chirayinkeezhu. The coastal police have registered a case for unnatural death.
Fishing has been prohibited along the Kerala coast from May 13, Thursday, following a cyclone alert in the Arabian Sea issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The State Emergency Operations Centre has advised fishermen out at sea to make for the nearest coast by Wednesday night. According to the IMD, a low pressure area likely to form by Friday is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the subsequent 48 hours.
