Gusty winds battering the area damaged more than 50 mechanised boats at Rameswaram on Thursday.
It is said that one of the patrolling trawlers of the Indian Navy attached to naval detachment, Rameswaram, also suffered damage.
While a few boats suffered heavy damage, others had minor damage. At least five boats sank in the sea. Some were smashed to pieces as they were tossed about by the wind and waves.
The boats were anchored at the Rameswaram jetty, where water is shallow. They were swept to the shore.
Rooftops of many houses along the shore were also blown away in the winds, which lasted about 20 minutes.
Fisheries and Revenue officials, who visited the spot, carried out a survey. Though the exact damage to the boats is yet to be assessed, fishermen put it at Rs.2 crore. A fisherman said though the boats, which suffered minor damage, could be set right within Rs.25,000 to Rs.50,000, those badly hit would require lakhs of rupees. The fishermen demanded that the government compensate the damage.
Collector T.N. Hariharan told The Hindu that the report of officials carrying out the survey would be sent to the government for further action.
