Search called off, 6 Andhra fishermen feared dead?

Authorities have called off the search operation for six fishermen who went missing off the coast of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, after their boat capsized on July 4, dashing the hopes of finding them alive.

The fishermen remained untraced after a four-day-long search and rescue operation by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.

The authorities now presume the missing fishermen dead on the basis of information given by a fisherman, who was rescued by a cargo ship on Sunday.

The search operation, involving two ships and two helicopters of the Coast Guard, continued till Tuesday midnight, but all efforts by the search teams involved proved futile.

State Minister Kollu Ravindra told media persons after consoling the families of missing fishermen and distributing ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each that since no trace of the missing fishermen was found even after extensive search for more than 72 hours, they are presumed dead.

A group of seven fishermen belonging to Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts had left in a boat for fishing from Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour on July 1.

The boat developed mechanical failure and capsized on Saturday while they were returning to the coast. One of them was rescued by the crew of a merchant vessel, and he reached the coast on Monday.

With the search operation being called off, the state government announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the six fishermen.

A pall of gloom descended on the families of the fishermen, who were hoping for their safe return.

The fishermen had set off for fishing on July 1. As the sea conditions turned rough due to a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, their families contacted them over mobile phones to alert them. The fishermen told their families they would return to the coast by the afternoon of July 4.

As they did not return and their mobile phones were found switched off, anxious families alerted the Coast Guard and Marine Police.

Kari Chinna, who owns the missing fishing boat, was rescued by the Panama-flagged merchant vessel 'MV Universe Wealthy' on Sunday.

The Indian Navy airlifted him from the vessel to INS Dega on Monday evening. He was later shifted to KIMS ICON Hospital. According to doctors, he is in stable condition.

Doctors quoted him as saying the boat capsized on Saturday at 3.30 p.m. He kept swimming to save himself and remained in the sea for about 18 hours before he was rescued by the crew of a merchant vessel around 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Minister for Excise and Mines Kollu Ravindra, along with MLAs Vamsi Krishna Yadav and Lokam Madhavi, Visakhapatnam District Collector Abhijit Kishore, and Fisheries Commissioner Rama Shankar Naik, handed over cheques worth Rs 10 lakh each to the families of six fishermen.

The minister and other officials presented cheques comprising Rs 5 lakh from the Fisheries Department and another Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, stated that the agony, anxiety, and uncertainty currently being endured by the families of the missing fishermen are deeply distressing.