After an intense search involving several agencies, authorities have called off efforts to find the seven fishermen who were on board the sunken fishing boat Oceanic. Four persons were killed when an unidentified ship rammed the boat on August 7 off the Chettuva barmouth in Thrissur.
A senior official with the Coastal police said the operation was being called off as the possibility of recovering the bodies was low.
“The bodies of the seven fishermen, who were reportedly in the wheelhouse when the boat went down, are presumed to be trapped inside. The Navy had earlier located the possible wreckage though attempts to salvage the same had to be suspended due to inclement weather. Even if we resume the operations now, the wreckage might have drifted from its earlier position,” the official explained.
The Coastal police have now sought the Navy’s help in salvaging the wreckage, which lies 70 metres deep on the seabed, around three nautical miles northeast of the estimated position of the collision.
Meanwhile, the Shipping Corporation of India has approached a Judicial First Class magistrate Court in Kochi, seeking the release of the ship detained by the Coastal police.