Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Updated

Mangaluru, May 23: In an incident which happened at the Ullal Kody seashore at 1.30 am on Sunday May 23, a fishing boat crashed into the seashore. The boat owners stated that the boat had been stopped in the middle of the sea for fishing when its rope snapped and the boat plowed into the seashore.

Fishermen in the ill-fated boat, Anees, Soosaraj, Saleem, Moideen, Raj, George, Rajiv Gandhi, Tangar and Bannan, all of Tamilian origin, were rescued.

The boat, which is titled 'Aznan', is owned by Farooq from Bolar and Ashraf H from Ullal Mukkacheri. The boat had left for deep sea fishing at 10 pm on Saturday with ten fishermen on board. The boat had been stopped in the middle of the sea for fishing. Because of strong wind, the rope snapped, and the boat sped towards Kody seashore where it hit the seashore.

People residing near heard a loud sound like that of lightning. They rushed out and saw that the fishing boat had come to a stop after hitting the boulders stacked to stop sea erosion. All the ten fishermen jumped out of the boat to safety. One of them who was very ill, w as admitted into hospital.

Ullal police, who visited the spot, registered a case.

The operation to extricate the boat from its current position with the help of two other fishing boats which came from Mangaluru is continuing, after initial efforts failed. Efforts made to pull the boat away with the help of ropes failed as the rope got severed. The boat has diesel inside and the fishing trays and net which fell out, were washed away by the waves. The boat is worth Rs 1.2 crore and the boat had left for fishing a week back. As the boat failed lo get good catches, it had suffered loss of Rs 15 lac. The boat was sent for fishing after information that the fishermen had recently begun to get good catches of king fish, kindled a fresh hope. As the boat is repeatedly smashing into the rocks, it is suffering damages.

Former minister, U T Khader, who visited the spot, said that removing the boat has posed a huge challenge. He said that cranes will have to be employed to rescue the boat and that he had tried to draw the attention of New Mangalore Port Trust which has suitable cranes with them. He felt that the port and fisheries department has to take up the task of removing the boat and to facilitate the boat owners to undertake fishing activity again.