Daijiworld News Network - Udupi/Malpe (GA)
Udupi, Jun 1: The body of drowned fishermen Shivanand (22), a resident of Bhatkal was found on Thursday June 1 morning at Kota-Kodi. With this bodies of all the 6 fishermen drowned on Sunday May 28 night in the Arabian Sea have been found. Shivanand was the son of Narayan Mogera of Bhatkal.
While the body of Timmappa Nagappa Gopa of Bhatkal was found at Kodi-Kanyana, the body of Chandra (27), son of Venkatramana Mogera of Belli village near Bhatkal was traced at Kodi Munda on Tuesday May 30.
But the others were not traced on Tuesday even after 48 hours of tragedy. It was Wednesday May 31 morning that Shankar Naik (35), son of Nagappa Naik of Bhatkal was found at Pottalive near Tottam. But the families of Jagannath Kunder, son of the late Bedu Amin and Sanki Kunder and Anad (32), son of the late Buda Marakala and Akki Kunder were in great trauma after the bodies of Anand and Jagannath were not traced.
Though the Coast Guards and the fishermen were continuously trying to trace their bodies, Anand's body was spotted in a bush in River Sita at Alsebettu near Airody of Brahmavar on Wednesday afternoon. His body was in complete decomposed state and was identified by his nephew Somanath Kunder. The Kota police had handed over the body to the family immediately after the autopsy.
However, Jagannath’s (42) body was traced at Hoode-Gujjarbettu (incidentally his wife Radha hails from Gujjarbettu) Wednesday evening.
Shivanand's body was finally traced at Kota-Kodi on Thursday morning. With this bodies of all the 6 drowned fishermen have been found.
Their families are still in a state of shock and trauma after this tragedy. The tragedy occurred almost at the fag end of the fishing activities has struck the entire fishermen community with fear. Most of them were of the opinion that the present tragedy is worse than the Tsunami tragedy, way back in December 2004. The sources said that so far 9 boats, Hitalakshmi, Dhanalakshmi, Srinidhi, Blue Bird, Menaka, Jalavikrant, Vighneshwar Prasad have sunk in the sea while two more boats Dayalakshmi and Anupama have been damaged.
Though the total loss has not yet been estimated, it is said that the loss could cross Rs 15 crore. This is the biggest yet tragedy at Malpe port.