Two fishermen died of exhaustion, while two others swam safely to the shore after the country boat in which they had set out for fishing capsized at Muthalapozhi estuary off Perumathura coast in the district on Sunday evening. The deceased have been identified as Antony, 52, and Pascas, 55. Both were residents of Thonikadavu of Anchuthengu. They died while being shifted to Chirayinkeezhu Taluk Hospital. The fishermen who survived were identified as Lawrence and Vincent of Anchuthengu. The incident took place around 4.45 pm on Sunday when the four fishermen ventured out to the sea off Perumathura coast, ignoring the rough sea. But when they reached the estuary, which is very deep, the boat was swept away by the waves. It soon capsized and all the four fishermen began swimming back to the shore. Two of them managed to reach the shore safe. The Kadinamkulam police have registered a case in connection with the incident. According to the police, they received a call from the police personnel who were deployed for security at Perumathura as the place has become a tourist spot. The police and two units of Fire and Rescue Services from Chackai and Attingal soon rushed to the spot. However, Antony and Pascas were by then picked up by another group of fishermen who had set out in a boat for the rescue braving the adverse conditions. Though the two fishermen were taken to Taluk Hospital, Chirayinkeezhu, they were declared dead on arrival. It is learnt that Antony held on to a rock after swimming a short distance and Pascas tried to swim into the nearby shore. However, the two of them soon faced exhaustion and drowned. If they had followed the warnings, the incident would not have occurred. Even the local fishermen don’t venture into the sea owing to the rough sea, said K Hemanth Kumar, Kadinamkulam SI. Samson, a local fishermen, who had jumped into the sea for the rescue, also failed to reach the spot owing to the rough sea. However, he managed to hold on to a rock and was later brought back to the shore by fishermen. The bodies of the two victims will be handed over to relatives after post-mortem on Monday.
2016, The New Indian Express.