Three lifeless, 9 lacking after cargo ship collides with fishing boat off Mangaluru coast

By Express News Service
KOCHI/KOZHIKODE: Three fishermen have been killed when a cargo ship collided with a fishing boat off the Mangaluru coast on Monday night time.

According to sources, two fishermen have been rescued alive by the crew of the ship whereas 9 others are lacking after the collision. The rescued employees are Vel Murugan of Colachel in Tamil Nadu and Sunil Das of West Bengal.

According to Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association vice chairman Haneefa Haji, there have been 14 employees within the boat of which 7 have been from Colachel and seven from Odisha and West Bengal.

“The workers had joined duty only on Sunday. The boat set off for fishing from Beypore harbour on Sunday and collided with the ship at around midnight on Monday,” he stated.

The ill-fated boat IFB Rabbal was owned by Mamantakathu Jaffer of Beypore. According to sources, APL Le Havre, a container ship with Singapore registration, collided with the fishing boat.

The crew of the ship launched a rescue operation instantly after they seen the incident and saved 5 employees, of whom three died.

The Navy and Coast Guard have rushed to the game and launched a seek for the lacking fishermen. The incident occurred round 60 nautical miles off the Mangaluru coast.