Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe
Deekshith DV
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Apr 14: Thirty-seven-year old Velumurugan, shivered with terror recalling the boat accident that occurred on Tuesday April 13. He was one of the lucky survivors.
Velumurugan from Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu and Sunil Das from Kakdwip district of West Bengal are the two survivors from the tragic incident where their fishing boat capsized after a huge ship collided against it, 43 nautical miles away from Mangaluru.
Sunil Das and Velumurugan
Boat owner Jaafar
Speaking to Daijiworld, Velumurugan recalled that he along with 13 others from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, ventured into the sea for fishing from Beypore in Kozhikode district in Kerala on April 11.
He said, "As we did not get a good catch, we decided to go for deep sea fishing and moved further up to 70 nautical miles. As we moved further, the weather was very bad. As we continued to move, we received rain.
“Later, our helmsman told us to have food. We then continued our journey. All the lights at the top of the boat were switched on. After dinner, we took rest. Soon after, it started to rain heavily. We closed all the open spaces in the boat. I went to sleep beside the helmsman. We noticed that the tides were very high, the weather was getting worse and the view was not clear.
“As I was tired, I fell asleep. After a few hours, I heard a loud sound. When I tried to get up, the entire boat had capsized. I could hear people screaming. Even I fell into the water. However, a few seconds later, I managed to reach to the top of the boat. The same ship which collided against our boat had returned. After I waved a can, the crew members of the ship, located us and helped us to get into the ship. We were given first aid. I was not able to even speak at that time. Later, we told informed them that there were many others in the capsized boat. Unfortunately, I could not find them,” he said.
“Due to poverty and to feed my family members, I am into this field,” says Velumurugan.
Owner of the boat, Jaafar informed that he came to know the incident through coastal security police. "They informed me that my boat was hit by a ship. It was really a shocking incident,” he said.
Another survivor Sunil Das also narrated the incident and how he could save his life from the jaws of death.