Four T.N. fishermen stranded mid-sea, rescued, brought to shore near Dhanushkodi

Fishermen rescued after boat damaged mid-sea near Dhanuskodi; all four safe, but lost catch & boat worth ₹25 lakh.

Four fishermen engaged in fishing along the Palk Bay, who were stranded mid-sea after their boat weas damaged, were rescued by other fishermen near Dhanuskodi and brought to the safely on Thursday, December 28, 2023.

Two days ago, the Fisheries Department officials had issued 489 tokens following which around 1,400 fishermen ventured into the sea. On the night of December 27, a boat that was being was operated by four fishermen, was travelling towards Dhanuskodi when one of the fishers on board spotted a hole in the vessel. Within a few minutes, water had entered and the boat was rendered completely damaged and unusable.

Clinging to the ice box and the diesel jerry can on board, the four fishermen managed to navigate the ocean currents. Subsequently, a group of fishermen on another mechanised boat, spotted them and rescued them.

The four fishermen were identified as Subramani, Murugandi, Manickam and Nambukumar of Uchipuli, Vedalai and Pudu Road. They reached the shore early on Thursday.

According to Fisheries Department, all four fishermen have reached home. They have suffered no injuries. However, they said they had lost their catch, fishnets and the boat, estimated to be worth around ₹25 lakh in total.