The boat had 21 fishermen. Hejamady fishermen who were fishing few metres away from the said boat rescued all the fishermen from the boat which caught fire.
The boat Balu Prasad belong to Shashi Mendon, a resident of Bengre in Mangalore. The boat developed fire owing to the short circuit in battery cable in the boat engine. Though the fishermen inside the boat tried to douse the fire, all their efforts were in vein. However, when the fire began to spread, people from the shore could see the engulfing of the fire in the boat. In fact, large number of people had gathered near the shore. The nets, engine, fibre body of the boat have been completely gutted in the fire, incurring loss of lakhs of rupees. However, fishermen alleged that inspite of informing Coast Guard, they did not come to our rescue. A case has been registered Padubidri police station.
Explaining their experiences, the fishermen on the boat said “it is great that our lives were saved.”
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Manoj, a fishermen on board, said “we 21 fishermen had left from Manglore in the morning. The fire was noticed in the afternoon. When we realised that the fire would spread to diesel tank in the boat, we switched off the boat engine. We had informed Help Desk in Mangalore. Realising that they will reach late, we started dousing the fire. However, all our efforts were in vain. The fishermen from Dharmashastra and Mahalakshmi trawl boat came near our boat and saved our lives. I have not experienced such a mishap in my life. Boat is our livelihood. We could not see our boat being destroyed in fire,” he added.
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