KOZHIKODE: The fishers and politicians feel the state and Union governments failed to act earnestly on Wednesday's tragedy in the sea when an unidentified ship hit a fishing boat leaving one dead and three others still missing. The capsized boat Immanuel from Munambam, Kochi, had six persons onboard. Two were rescued by fishermen from Beypore on Thursday while the body of Antony, was retrieved by Navy divers a day later. The coast guard and navy stopped the search operations on Sunday citing rules that after 72 hours, the missing can be considered as dead.
But fighting all odds, the fishermen from Poovar are still at sea searching for their compatriots Prince and Johnson, and Ramiyas, a native of Chinnathurai, Kanyakumari. A relative of Johnson said earlier in 2012 the state and Union governments acted earnestly when guards onboard Italian ship Enrica Lexie shot two of them dead. “Now four of our men, though bodies of three are yet to be retrieved, seem lost life and both governments are not at all serious,” he told DC. When asked, why don’t they come out in the open, he said their priority was to find out their brethren, dead or alive.
“Later we will take on the laxity shown by those in power,” he said. M.K. Raghavan MP in a fax message to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and director general of shipping, Mumbai, demanded immediate steps to resume the search for the missing three and to identify the hit-and-run ship. “Governments should ensure sufficient compensation for bereaved families and also ensure sufficient compensation from the be punished under international maritime laws,” he said. However, sources said DGS had identified two foreign ships that crossed the region and also served notices on them not to sail out. They will be checking the ships for marks and signs of the accident and other evidence.
