Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jun 23: A country boat made of fibre glass, named ‘Sriram’, owned by Pramila Kotian from Tota Bengre that capsized due to giant waves on Wednesday June 22, suffered extensive damages. All the four fishermen in the boat however, swam to safety.

The boat had ventured into the sea from the jetty at the Old Bunder fishing port here.  The boat encountered trouble while returning to the shore. When the boat overturned, the fishermen, Raghavendra, Pramod Kotian, Prabhakar Kaindan and Rajesh, were thrown into the sea. For about an hour, they continued to be in the sea, fighting huge waves. When one of the planks of the boat got separated due to the force of the waves, they caught hold of the plank and reached the shore. About 50 fishermen later pulled the boat, which has suffered a loss of approximately two lac rupees, ashore.

A complaint was filed about the incident with the fisheries department and Panambur police station. The fishermen said that one of the reasons for the frequent boat accidents here is the failure of the government to undertake dredging work at the estuary.