Nine fishermen who departed from the Kasimedu fishing harbour in Chennai have disappeared after their mechanised boat lost contact during severe weather, according to local fishermen on Wednesday.
The crew embarked on a deep-sea fishing expedition on October 29 aboard a vessel registered as TN 02 MM 2584, owned by a local fisherman named Selvalagan, Kasimedu fishermen reported.
Fisherman Sathish Kumar stated that communication with the vessel was lost at 3 pm on November 3. He explained that despite instructions to return to the shore due to the adverse weather, the crew was unable to navigate back and instead anchored next to another boat.
"We were in touch with them until 3 pm yesterday. They mentioned they couldn't make it back and had anchored," Kumar recounted. "However, this morning, the drivers of the adjacent boat, Saravanan and Surya, alerted us that the vessel was missing from its anchored position."
In response to the incident, the fishing community has lodged formal complaints with the Assistant Director of Fisheries, the Coast Guard, and state ministers, demanding prompt action.
"We've sent letters to the Coast Guard and the state government, but haven't received any updates yet," Kumar noted.
"The families are extremely worried. We appeal to the Tamil Nadu government to take swift action and deploy Coast Guard vessels and helicopters to locate and rescue the nine men," Kumar added.
(With inputs from PTI)