Six fishermen went missing as a fishing boat carrying seven of them is suspected to have capsized off the Visakhapatnam coast amid rough weather, with one fisherman rescued by a passing cruise ship, a fishing association leader said on Sunday.
Search operations are under way by the Indian Coast Guard and Marine Police to trace the missing fishermen after family members reported that they had lost contact with the crew.
“One fisherman has been rescued by a cruise ship, while search operations are under way for the remaining six," Vizag Fishing Boats Association president Lakshman Rao told PTI.
According to Rao, around 400 fishing boats had ventured into the sea, with several affected by strong winds and adverse weather conditions as the monsoon approached.
The seven fishermen had left for fishing on July 1 and had informed their family members that they would return by 2 pm on July 4.
However, after their mobile phones were found switched off, the families informed the Coast Guard and Marine Police.
Rao said the fishermen were returning after completing their fishing activity when contact with their boat was lost, adding that the boat is suspected to have capsized amid rough weather and strong winds.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to senior officials about the disappearance of the six fishermen from Visakhapatnam and reviewed the ongoing rescue efforts.
Officials briefed the chief minister on the measures taken to trace the missing fishermen.
Naidu directed them to intensify the search operation by deploying more Coast Guard vessels and was informed that the rescue operation had been expanded with the deployment of Navy helicopters.
He also instructed the Marine and the Visakhapatnam Police officials to coordinate the search efforts at sea and asked officials to keep him updated regularly on the progress of the operation.
