Hopes of two remaining fishermen’s survival fade

Udupi: Hopes of survival of two fishermen, reported missing after their country boat ‘Sagara Shri’ crashed into the breakwaters near Koderi fishing jetty in Byndoor taluk on Sunday, is fast receding. Search operations that were halted at 9pm on Sunday commenced on Monday. Rescuers located the bodies of Nagraj Kharvi, 55, at Hosahithlu near Navunda, and Laxman Kharvi, 35, at Hadaragoli.
Both the victims are from Uppunda, The body of Nagraj was located early in the day, while that of Laxman hours before the search operation ended at 9pm.
Nagraj, along with Manjunath Kharvi, Laxman Kharvi and Shekar Kharvi, fishermen from Navunda, were part of a group of 11 fishermen who had gone fishing in the boat. R Chethan, SP of Coastal Security Police (CSP), said after professional divers from Murudeshwar, who were deployed to locate the fishermen in the area, drew blank, a drone was flown to scout the area.
DIG S B Venkatesh, commander of Coast Guard (Karnataka), said Indian Coast Guard pressed its fast-patrol vessel (FPV) that was patrolling the high seas off Karnataka and Kerala coasts to trace the missing fishermen. Sandeep G S, police inspector of Gangolli station, said the FPV was coordinating with CSP.
Citing accounts of surviving fishermen, Sandeep said Nagraj, who had managed to clamber on board the battered boat after it capsised, was the last one to drown. The police official did not discount the possibility of fishermen who drowned getting ensnared in heavy fishing nets on the boat that could have dragged them down. The seven fishermen, who managed to swim ashore, were treated in a hospital and also discharged after first-aid.
Fisheries minister Kota Shrinivas Poojari, in a Facebook post, expressed concern at the development and offered condolences to the bereaved families. Noting that he has drawn the attention of the chief minister to the incident, Poojari said the fisheries department will provide financial assistance to the distraught families and that he would meet them personally.