Two fishermen were killed when a cargo ship hit their fishing boat in the Arabian Sea off Ponnani coast in the early hours of May 13. The other fishermen in the boat were rescued by the ship crew. The deceased were identified as Salam Kuriyamakkanakath and Gafoor Peekkintakath. Both hailed from Ponnani in Malappuram district of Kerala.
The accident took place around 1 a.m. when the merchant vessel hit the fishing boat named Islah in the middle about 38 miles off the coast. The boat owned by one Nainar from Ponnani broke into two and sank. The bodies of Salam and Gafoor were recovered in the morning by the Indian Coast Guard.