Nine fishermen missing off Chennai coast amid Cyclone Murasu
The crew of a mechanised boat lost contact during rough weather after departing from Kasimedu fishing harbour.
Nine fishermen have gone missing at sea after their mechanised boat lost contact during rough weather, according to reports from Deccan Chronicle and The Pioneer on Wednesday. The crew had been on a deep-sea fishing trip since October 29.
The vessel, registered as TN 02 MM 2584 and owned by a local fisherman named Selvalagan, departed from the Kasimedu fishing harbour in Chennai. Local fisherman Sathish Kumar stated that communication with the boat was severed at 3 pm on November 3.
Kumar said the crew had been advised to head back to the shore because of the weather but were unable to do so. Instead, they had anchored their boat near another vessel.
The disappearance was noted on the morning of November 4 after drivers of the nearby boat, Saravanan and Surya, reported that the vessel was no longer at its anchored location, according to Kumar.
The fishing community has filed formal complaints with the Coast Guard, the Assistant Director of Fisheries, and state ministers. Kumar noted that while letters have been sent to the state government and the Coast Guard, no information has been received yet.
The community has requested the Tamil Nadu government to deploy helicopters and Coast Guard ships to rescue the nine men.