One of the 95 mechanised boats, which carried pilgrims to Katchatheevu island for the annual St. Antony’s church festival, sunk at the anchorage on Saturday night after the pilgrims disembarked.
However, all the 3,160 pilgrims from here returned home in 94 boats on Sunday evening.
“All the pilgrims, including 528 women and 166 children, returned safely,” Superintendent of Police N.M. Mylvahanan said.
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Quoting Fisheries Department officials, he said one mechanised boat (IND-TN-10-MM-533), anchored near the island after the pilgrims disembarked, sunk following seepage of water into it on Saturday night.
Sources here said no one was present in the boat when the mishap occurred.
The five crew members of the boat had also disembarked. The Lankan Navy personnel tried in vain to salvage the boat, the sources added.
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Sources in the Fisheries Department said a salvage team with a boat would leave for the island after obtaining permission from the Centre.
The 30-odd pilgrims who travelled in the ill-fated boat along with its crew members were accommodated in other boats while returning, the sources said.
“Barring the lone incident, everything went off well,” Rev.L. Sagayaraj, chief coordinator of the pilgrimage, told The Hindu on his return from Katchatheevu.
The boats started arriving from 11.45 a.m. and the last boat arrived at around 5.50 p.m. on Sunday.