Boat goes up in flames mid-sea, six Mayiladuthurai fishers injured

Six fishermen from Thirumullaivasal suffer burn injuries after their fibreglass boat catches fire mid-sea near Pazhayar coast.

Six fishermen from Thirumullaivasal, a coastal village near Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai district suffered burn injuries when the engine of a fibreglass boat caught fire mid-sea, several nautical miles off the Pazhayar coast on Thursday (January 18, 2024) night.

Police sources said six fishermen had ventured into the sea for fishing on Thursday evening in a fibreglass boat from the Thirumullaivasal fishing harbour. When they were about 20 nautical miles off the Pazhayar coast in the late hours of Thursday, the engine of the fibreglass boat malfunctioned and caught fire.

The six fishermen on board suffered burn injuries on their legs. All of them managed to jump off the boat into the sea. On sighting the burning boat, another group of fishermen, who were fishing in the vicinity, rushed to the spot and rescued the stranded fishermen. They also towed the partially gutted boat to the shore.

The injured fishermen M. Parthiban, 34, of Tharangambadi; U. Dharamraj, 31; G. Moorthy, 48; P. Chithiravel, 43; A. Jeevanandham, 22; and K. Maniyarasan, 37, all natives of Thirumullaivasal, were admitted to the government hospital in Sirkazhi for treatment early on Friday, January 19.