‘We clung to the overturned boat for 2 days’: Vizhinjam fishermen recount terrifying ordeal

Vizhinjam: After two harrowing days at sea, eight fishermen who went missing from Vizhinjam have been brought safely back to shore. Among them, four men who clung to an overturned fibre boat for over 48 hours were pulled out of the deep sea by a passing trawler on Saturday. One fisherman remains missing, and another lost his life.

The survivors, Joseph (50), Mathias (48), Muthappan (50) from Pozhiyoor and Johnny (50) from Mukkola, Vizhinjam, had gone fishing on Thursday at 2:30 pm aboard the ‘Fathima Matha’, a fibre boat owned by Lazar. Around eight nautical miles from shore, heavy rains and powerful waves overturned their boat. Though the boat capsized, the fact that it was a fibre boat helped keep it afloat, allowing the four to cling to it and survive.

The four were eventually rescued on Saturday morning by a Tamil Nadu fishing trawler named ‘St Heart’, owned by Antony.

Another rescue: Engine failure off Colachel

In a separate incident, four more fishermen were rescued after their boat ‘Sahaya Matha’ suffered engine failure and drifted toward Colachel. The crew Robinson, Davidson, Dasan and Yesudasan had reported the issue to their families on Friday. A fishing boat located them on Saturday using the GPS coordinates they shared and brought them back safely by 4 pm.

One dead, one still missing after boat ‘Anu’ capsizes

Tragedy struck another group from Vizhinjam. Seventeen fishermen had gone out to sea on Thursday aboard different boats. The boat ‘Anu’ capsized in the same rough conditions. While three fishermen swam to safety, P. Antony, a native of Pulluvila, died in the incident. Another fisherman, Stellas, also from Pulluvila, remains missing. The search operation is ongoing.

By Saturday evening, families on the Vizhinjam coast breathed a sigh of relief as most of the missing fishermen were confirmed safe.