Pics: Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)
Kundapur, Aug 17: One among the four fishermen who went missing after their boat capsized at Koderi, Kirimanjeshwara, was found in the morning at Koderi Hosahitlu beach, on Monday August 17.
The body recovered is identified to be that of 55-year-old Naga.
The four fishermen who met watery grave on Sunday would have been alive now but for the fishing net of the boat which got entangled in their feet. This was stated by Ramesh Kharvi, a local, who was eyewitness to the incident, speaking to a daily.
Naga
The ill-fated boat collided with another boat nearby before smashing against the breakwater. Eight of the fishermen swam to safety by reaching the breakwater. But the four others had fishing net entangled in their feet and therefore it is said, they could not save themselves. Kharvi also said that sometime earlier to this incident, another boat with three fishermen had dashed against the breakwater but they escaped as they did not have net with them and only fish on board.
These fishermen who were in the boat which capsized were not lucky. Kharvi said that one of the fishermen, Naga, got caught in the big net and lost his life as he did not know how to swim. The feet of three others, Shekhar, Laxman, and Manjunath, got stuck in the net when the boat overturned. They tried to jump out but huge waves thwarted them from saving themselves, it is learnt.
It is said that many fishermen, sensing the inclement weather, had returned early from fishing trips on Sunday. Other boats were told to stay away from the breakwater because of the force of wind and rain but the boat which approached the shore with the hope that nothing might happen, met with the said accident.
Efforts made with the help of boats and cranes with the involvement of locals and coastal security police force failed to make headway because of the tumultuous sea. The search operation was resumed on Monday.