KOCHI:  The Coast Guard during its search for missing fishermen who ventured into the sea from Kerala coast on Monday, recovered the body of one off Ponnani coast. During its search on the second day, Coast Guard ship Samar sighted the body of the fisherman and alerted Ponnani coastal police. The body was recovered and shifted to the government hospital at Tirur for postmortem. The deceased has been identified as Ubaid, 35, of Kottumpuram in Tanur, Malappuram district.

Fishing vessels carrying 31 fishermen had gone missing on Monday, of which 28 returned to safety. The Coast Guard, said it has facilitated the return of all boats that were reported missing. Only two fishermen Kunjumon, 72, from Kottumpuram in Tanur and Kabir, 35, of Mukkadi in Ponnani are missing. The search for them is on. 

A Dornier aircraft and a Chetak helicopter along with Coast Guard ships Samar, Vikram, Aryaman and four interceptor boats have been deployed for tracing the fishermen. Electronic surveillance is being conducted to guide the fishing boats in the area to safer locations, said defence spokesperson.All mechanised fishing boats have returned to harbours and no boat has been reported missing, said All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal.