We saw land, but waves pulled us back to deep seas: Martin Joseph

Thiruvananthapuram: There was no energy left in that 16-member fishermen family as they tried to set right three of their boats capsized by the cyclone on Thursday. The group comprising cousins, uncles and brothers were sucked in by the blue waters one by one as each hour passed. A day later, on December 1, when the rotor wash from Navy helicopter blew hope of life on them, there were only four left.

Martin Joseph was among the surviving members of the extended family that hailed from Adimalathura. “The seas were fine until November 30 morning. The boats capsized as soon as the cyclone hit. We spent all our energy to stay afloat clinging to the boat,” he said. The waves dash many against the boat injuring them. The survivors believe this could have drowned most in the family. The boat was around 20 miles off Adimalathura coast when the cyclone struck. 

Among the missing were Martin’s nephews Beltes and Lourde Raju who were in their 20s and elder ones like Siluvaiyin and few others as old as 64 years. By night, the capsized boats drifted close to the shore. However, since the seas were rough, there was no one to rescue. “We could see the land clearly, but no one saw us. Soon waves pulled us back to deep seas,” Mr Martin said. “Sometimes before the helicopter reached us next morning, there were more of us alive. Don’t know how so many disappeared at the last moment,” he said.

While being picked up by the rescuers on the helicopter, he was suffering from hypothermia, dehydration and blurred vision after hours of exposure to saline water. He expressed no anger or grief but seemed frozen as he recovered from exhaustion and injuries at Medical College Hospital. Some social workers told Deccan Chronicle that multiple men from several families were missing in the same fashion in fishing hamlets across the state capital.