750 still missing post Ockhi: Tamil Nadu fishers

Ten days after cyclone Ockhi causing havoc in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu government still remain clueless over the number of fishermen dead and missing in the state, say Kanyakumari fishermen.

Even as the local fishermen claim that over 750 fishermen are still missing and put the death toll at 87 as per the eyewitness account, the state government has claimed only 547 are missing. As per the government data, only five fishermen from the state, including two from Kanyakumari district, have died.

The fishermen of Kanyakumari are known for venturing deep into the sea up to 600 nautical miles and staying for a duration of 30-45 days hunting sharks.

Rev. Fr. Churchill, general secretary of South Asian Fishermen Fraternity said with the information received from the fishermen who reached the shores, as many as 87 fishermen have died in the sea hit by the cyclone. “We have no information on 786 fishermen who ventured into the sea in 71 fishing boats,” he said.

Twenty fishermen, who went on a search mission in five boats on Wednesday, returned with visuals of floating dead bodies of fishermen, Fr Churchill said adding they had recovered a plastic bag containing eight mobile phones.

“When our fishermen were able to …read more