Kerala fishermen sail out to find missing colleagues
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Angry fishermen defied warnings of the state government and the Met office and ventured into the sea on Sunday in search of missing colleagues, even as two more bodies were recovered, taking the toll in Cyclone Ockhi to 26 in the state.
At least 40 boats set out into the sea early on Sunday to search for the missing men even as hope of their survival began to fade. Within 30 minutes, one of the boats returned with a bloated body that was yet to be identified. Another body was washed ashore. The Indian Air Force helicopters, meanwhile, are continuing search missions.
In Vizhinjam and Poonthura, two fishing hamlets in Thiruvananthapuram district, at least 80 fishermen are still missing. Another 40 are reported to be missing from other areas. “We tried our best to pacify the people but time is running out and they are simmering with anger. The state government handled the disaster with kid gloves. It is sad human lives are so cheap here,” said Poonuthura parish priest Father Justin Rudin.
He said the state machinery was ineffective in handling the disaster and gave full credit to Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor for coordinating rescue and relief measures with Delhi.
The state government, however, denied that its response was lethargic. “We have done everything possible. It is natural for emotions to rise on such occasions. The joint rescue operation team saved more than 400 fishermen,” state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said.
One of the survivors alleged that the fishermen had no warning of the cyclone or its intensity.
“It is a second tsunami for us. We never saw such killer waves. Many lives would have been saved if we got prior warning,” said Cletus Yesudas who was rescued after two days. He also claimed rescuers were only concentrating on survivors and refused to carry bodies.