Search Operations Resume for Missing Fishermen in Kerala
Resumption of Search Efforts in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, August 8 - The search for three fishermen who have been missing since July 31 resumed on Saturday following separate incidents involving fishing boats in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts. Authorities confirmed that the search operation continued into its ninth day.
Efforts are focused on the areas of Vidingam and Muthalapozhi in Thiruvananthapuram district, as well as the Neendakara region in Kollam. Gautam Krishna, a 26-year-old resident of Puthenthura, has been missing since a fishing boat capsized on July 31, an incident that also claimed the lives of his father, Radhakrishnan (48), and grandfather, Rajeevan (74). Officials noted that the search intensified following protests from Gautam's mother, Reshma, on Friday.
To aid in the search, additional coastal police boats have been deployed, and assistance from the Indian Coast Guard's helicopters and drones has been enlisted. Meanwhile, the coastal police in Vidingam are also searching for John (54), a resident of Pulluvila, who has been missing since a separate boating accident near the Thiruvananthapuram coast on the same day.
Authorities reported that the Indian Coast Guard and local fishermen are collaborating in the search for John. Following protests from his family, the state government assured that the search efforts would be expedited. Officers from the Vidingam coastal police station indicated that the search area would be expanded on Saturday.
The search for Shijin (32), who went missing after another fishing boat capsized near Muthalapozhi on July 31, also resumed on Saturday morning. Officials from the Anchuthengu coastal police station stated that the search operation has been ongoing since morning with the help of the fisheries department's marine enforcement branch. Shijin's family had previously claimed that the search efforts were inadequate.
They staged a protest by sitting on the road near the Anchuthengu coastal police station. Subsequently, Transport Minister C.P. John visited Shijin's family to assure them that the search would be intensified. The minister also agreed to the family's request to include ten fishermen in the search efforts starting Saturday.
The opposition has criticized the government for the sluggish pace of the search operation, targeting the United Democratic Front (UDF). Additionally, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held a protest at the Kollam collectorate on Friday. The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council has also urged the state government to strengthen search and rescue operations for fishermen.