Mangalore: No Info about Missing Ship, Search Operations on
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Nov 29: Search operations to find out the fate of the mini ship, ‘Al Akhter’ being operated by Mustafa from Bengre here, have not yielded any positive results so far. The ship had gone missing from near Amini Island in Lakshadweep on Sunday morning. Navy, Coast Guard, and local agencies have been carrying out widespread operations to locate the said ship, and two helicopters and speed boats have undertaken a mega rescue operation.
As the sea continues to be turbulent because of strong wind, no fishing boats ventured into sea on Monday, in tune with the warning issued by the meteorological department.
Conditions at sea improved a bit by Monday evening, and the fishermen expect the situation to normalize within a couple of days. Fishing boats are likely to stay off sea during this period. The operation of ships ferrying people and goods between the city and Lakshadweep too stand suspended.
It could not be confirmed as yet, whether the missing mini ship has drowned, and what happened to the six crew members on board. The ship reportedly was equipped with all life saving equipments, and it is believed that the crew would have made use of them. Owner of the ship, Mustafa, recalled that in an earlier incident, a ship and its crew had reached the shore safely after going missing for five days due to inclement weather. He expressed hope of finding his ship intact and the crew members hale and healthy, soon.
In the meanwhile, many of the deep sea fishing boats rushed to ports like Malpe because of disturbance at sea. A number of boats belonging to Kochi, and other ports in Karnataka, anchored in Malpe port. About 600 deep sea boats from coastal Karnataka have presently been anchored at ports like Karwar, Margao, and Ratnagiri.
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