Seven fishermen who were missing in water for over three weeks Coast Guard search for in B R Ambedkar Konaseema, Andhra Pradesh, were salvaged and brought back to the West Bengal coast on Wednesday.
The fishermen were boat owner Ramakrishna Varma and Kollati Srinubabu, Yesudas, Palepu Shantar Rao, Karri Ramudu, Katadi Satish Kumar and Sangadi Tatarao. The boat fishing ship from Kolkata found them around 11.45 am in the Bay of Bengal and brought them to safety at Shankarpur Fishing Harbour.
The fishermen were then rushed to the hospital for precautionary checks. State Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu said that the health condition of their was stable and measures would be taken to send them back to their home villages once they got over the ordeal.
The seven men had left the Odalarevu Fish Landing Centre on 3rd August. This problem started after they both went out to sea as their boat had a clutch-plate problem on August 4. They were able to fix it but the engine gearbox then failed.
The next day the fishermen made repairs to the gearbox and began the trip home. But after going about a half-hour beyond 50 nautical miles reach, the engine finally seized and they found themselves alone, with no one on an immediate horizon to come to their aid.
The rescue brought great relief to their families who had hungsriving for weeks following the disaster. Lakshmi, wife of Ramakrishna Varma, said “I would have lost my faith if I hadn’t heard from him since August 6, but am still praying for him to come home safely.”
Seven fishermen and their families had landed in a frightening situation today which has been brought to a close with success.