Just weeks after Italian Navymen gunned down two Indian fishermen, an unidentified ship rammed into a boat, 26.9 km off the Arthungal coast of Alappuzha district at 1am Thursday, killing two fishermen and injuring two more.
Three other fishermen have gone missing since the incident.
The ill-fated boat, Don-I, owned by Mani, aka Antony Jacob, had gone fishing Sunday evening with seven men aboard.
One of the fishermen, Michael, who reached shore without any serious injury, alleged that Don-I was hit by the ship although it gave sufficient warning signals. “It was an ill-lit oil tanker. It hit us when we were casting the fishing net,” he said. Shaji, a fellow boatman, said they had battled for over an hour to rescue the others and trace the wrecked boat. “The mishap happened in Indian territorial waters,” he told this newspaper.
Superintendent of police K.G. James said they have not been able to trace the identity of the ship which hit the boat.
Meanwhile, the combined forces of the Coast Guard, Marine Enforcement and Navy continued search operations for the three missing fishermen. The injured fishermen, Michael (55) and Joseph (57) of Panmana and Kovilthottam near Chavara in Kollam district have been admitted to Alappuzha Medical College Hospital.
Justin, who was killed in the accident, was the Srank of Don-I. Interestingly, he is said to have been the first to alert the authorities about Enrica Lexie firing.