An international cargo ship rammed a country fishing boat about 38 nautical miles off the coast of Kollam on Saturday. The incident left the boat broken but all the six men on the boat were rescued by fishermen in other boats near the location.
Preliminary reports said the fishing boat, Arogya Annai, is registered in the name of a native of Kulachal in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu and the six fishermen are from the Kulachal region. Minister for Fisheries J Mercykutty Amma confirmed that all the six men were rescued and were being shifted to the coast.
A search by the Indian Navy for the ship is on. The incident happened at about 12.15 pm along the international shipping channel. The fishing boat had left the Kollam coast from Neendakara late on Friday. The men were engaged in traditional, hook-and-line fishing when the incident happened.
On June 11, three fishermen were killed and 11 injured after a cargo ship registered in Panama collided with their boat, about 14 nautical miles off the Kochi coast. Earlier this month, another suspected mid-sea collision was reported off the Thiruvananthapuram coast after a fishing boat was hit by a ship. The three men in the boat escaped unhurt.
Published 26 August 2017, 13:14 IST