A 63-year-old fisherman drowned off the Anjuthengu coast on Monday during an attempt to shift a fishing boat away from the rough waves to a safer location.
The Anjuthengu police identified the deceased as Antony of Thevalakkara in Karunagappally. The incident took place at around 2.45 p.m. when Antony along with two others made an attempt to shift their fishing boat.
While the recent cyclone warnings have prompted fishermen to park their boats on the coast, the rough waves that have been lashing the coast threatened to carry away the boats. Fearing the prospect of losing their boat, the fishermen took the risk of moving the boat to the safe confines of a backwater nearby. However, their attempts were foiled as soon as they entered the estuary that separated the backwater from the sea.
The boat capsized in the rough waves, resulting in all the three fishermen falling into the sea. While the others managed to remain afloat, Antony could not prevent himself from drowning. Having lost consciousness, Antony was soon rescued and taken to the shore by the others. Despite being rushed to the Chirayinkeezhu taluk hospital, his life could not be saved.
The incident comes in the wake of efforts being made by the Anjuthengu police and the recently-launched Anjuthengu coastal police in preventing the fishermen from venturing into the sea. Besides making announcements, the police have also being issuing alerts regarding the cyclone warnings through the Kadalora Jagratha Samithi. In spite of such steps, there have been instances in which fishermen have attempted to go fishing with their livelihoods at stake, an official said.
Growing casualties
The region has witnessed a growing number of casualties among fishermen is recent times. Two fishermen were killed and four others injured when their boat capsized off the Munduthua coast nearby in August. Another fisherman had drowned and two others barely managed to escape in another incident that had occurred four months ago.