THOOTHUKUDI: At least 12 persons including eight sailors onboard a sail boat ferrying iron scraps from Thoothukudi port are said to be missing.
A crew of eight sailors-Kalidos, Shelton, Walerin, Ashok, Johnson, Williams, Mariselvam and Herald Wilson onboard the sailing boat Jehovah Hosenna -TTN258, ferrying iron scraps to Lakshadweep was caught in troubled sea four nautical miles away from Kaverati islands in the Arabian sea, reports reaching here on Sunday said.
The crew's attempt to anchor the sail boat was said to have failed and the eight sailors including the Master of the boat, Shelton, were feared to have been tossed into the sea.
Relatives of the eight members of the crew petitioned the Thoothukudi district collector, seeking to take necessary steps to rescue the members.
Four more fishermen-Raveendran, Joseph Jude, Barath Jude and Kingston who went fishing from Kochi have also not returned to the shore so far.
The Thoothukudi district Joint director of Fisheries, Amala Xavier said that the government has been taking every measure to find the whereabouts of the eight sailors and four fishermen. Ms. Xavier, however, added that the four fishermen, though natives of Thoothukudi fishermen's colony, had stayed in Kanyakumari district and had gone for fishing from Kochi.
