From Daijiworld's special correspondent - Friday, 10-45 pm

Panaji, Mar 31: Two persons had a providential escape while six of their colleagues are feared to have been drowned in the choppy seawaters when a fishing trawler hit a big ship off the Vengurla coast in Maharashtra.

The trawler had left Goa's Malim jetty on March 29 evening and met with the accident during wee hours of March 30. The coast guard officials confirming the accident stated that the search operation is on, but probability of any more survivals is bleak.

Of the eight, two were lucky enough as they kept on floating on the wooden plank for more than 24 hours, until another ishing trawler rescued them.

The trawler named 'Sea Master' had left Malim jetty with the crew members and was fishing in deep sea off-Vengurla coast, 90 kms away from here.

"As soon as we came to know of the incident, rescue helicopters and boats were pressed into service," the Coast Guard officials said.

"The possibility of six crew members surviving is rare. We came to know about the incident only this morning," stated Victor Gonsalves, chairman, Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Cooperative Society, which covers 261 trawlers at Malim jetty.

One of the two survivors, Manjunath Basappa (25) from Koppal district of Karnataka, said that all those who were sleeping in the basement of the trawler were drowned as it sunk.

Manjunath said a big steamer like ship hit the trawler and immediately it capsized and added that he and his colleague anjit from Orissa had survived on salty water. Both have been admitted to Goa Medical College, Bambolim, near Panaji.

Gonsalves said this is second such incident in the last one month. "A similar accident had occurred a fortnight ago but there was no casualty," he said.