The bodies of fishermen Alexander, 38, and his father-in-law Dhason, 65, who were killed in the collision involving Singapore flagged cargo vessel MV APL Le HARVEY and fishing boat Rabha from Kerala late on Monday night, were laid to rest at Colachel in Kanyakumari district on Thursday. Meanwhile, Tuticorin MP Kanimozhi wrote to home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh to expedite the search and rescue operations. The duo was among 14 fishermen – seven each from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal – who went fishing from Beypore in Kerala on Sunday night. The collision left three people dead and nine missing. S Velmurugan, 37, of Ramanathapuram and Sunil Dhas of West Bengal are the only two to be rescued alive. Alexander is survived by his widow D Sumathi, 32, and two sons aged nine and seven years. Dhason has four children, including two daughters of which Sumathi is the youngest.
Velmurugan, who reached Colachel from Mangaluru was sent to his native village Kannirajapuram in Ramanathapuram district. “I don’t know how I am going to face my family and villagers,” he lamented as his relatives Palani, Balamurugan and Manickam are still missing. A fisheries official from Ramanathapuram has headed to Mangaluru to coordinate the rescue of the missing fishermen. Fisheries officials here quoting officials in Kerala said that the remains of the damaged boat is nearly 100m deep, making the search and rescue difficult. Officials added that the state government has written to the director general of shipping to engage divers to search for the missing men. The government has also pressed for adequate compensation for the kin of the deceased and the survivors.
Sumathi in a representation to the director of fisheries said the shipping company and those on board the ship have to be booked for murder. D Rani, wife of fisherman Denison from Tuticorin district, who also went missing made a representation to the government to search for her missing husband and his fellow workers and to ensure the safety of fishermen from such accidents. The Meenavar Orunginaippu Sankam also sought adequate compensation. “Most of the victims are the sole breadwinners of their family,” general secretary of the association, Johnson Charles said.