Kozhikode: The Kerala Fisheries Department has handed over all the investigation files related to the missing of four fishermen off the Beypore coast to the Deputy Director of Fisheries in Kanyakumari to process the compensation requests of the victims’ families in their native State.
A copy of the report prepared by the Fisheries department authorities in Kozhikode on October 17 has also been forwarded to the Mercantile Marine Department to support the follow up investigation into the case.
Mariyam Haseena, Deputy Director of Fisheries, told The Hindu here on Friday that the Fisheries department in Tamil Nadu would be initiating further measures on the report. “We also hope that the report will be helpful for the further investigation of the Director General of Shipping into the incident,” she said.
It was on October 11 that the fishing boat from Kanyakumari was rammed by a ship nearly 40 nautical miles off the Beypore coast. Two persons had been rescued by the local fishers. Of the four fishermen who went missing after the collision, the Coast Guard could recover only one dead body.
Coastal police from the city said the First Information Report registered on the basis of the statements of the two already rescued fishermen was also handed over to the Coastal police in Kochi. They also said there was no clue yet over the missing men as the Coast Guard had already ended their search in the sea.
On the other hand, a group of fishers from Kanyakumari carried out their own search using two fishing boats in the sea on Friday. Karichal Preman, leader of the Beypore Harbour Development Society said the fishers made the voluntary attempt as a last resort to recover the bodies.
Meanwhile, following a directive from the Kerala Government, the Coast Guard has handed over the details of suspected ships that passed through the channel when the accident took place to the Fisheries department. However, they also clarified that any further investigation in the case would be conducted only under the supervision of the Director General of Shipping.
eom.