Three fishermen found unconscious at sea after six days, rescued

CUDDALORE: Two fishermen from Parangipettai in Cuddalore district and a fisherman from Puducherry, who went missing at deep sea, were rescued by fellow fishermen on Monday after six gruelling days. The trio were discovered in an unconscious state inside their stranded boat off the Cuddalore coast.

Cuddalore district fisheries officials said the trio ventured out into the sea for fishing on June 3, departing from the Annankovil harbour in Parangipettai in a fibreglass boat. They were expected to return to the shores by the following morning, but when they failed to show up, their panicked families alerted the district officials.

A massive search operation was launched. With authorisation from the district administration, a search party consisting of 13 local fishermen in an advanced boat scanned the waters. By June 6, the Indian Coast Guard deployed two specialised ships and a helicopter to locate the missing vessel. Despite extensive efforts, there was no trace of the fishermen.

The breakthrough came on Monday morning. A group of fishermen from Cuddalore port, Mudaliarkuppam, Puducherry, who had ventured into the sea, spotted a stranded fibreglass boat drifting aimlessly roughly 19 nautical miles off the coast of Nallavadu village in Cuddalore district. They approached the vessel and were shocked to find three fishermen lying inside, incapacitated and unconscious due to extreme dehydration and starvation. They rescued the three and brought them to the shore.

Recounting the horrific six-day ordeal, one of the survivors, V Nagavel, detailed their battle with death. "While we were out fishing, our boat's engine suddenly suffered a major mechanical failure. Heavy wind currents rapidly dragged our boat further into the deep sea, leaving us completely stranded for six days,” he said.

“We only had enough food supplies to last us for a single day. As the days rolled on, we ran out of drinking water entirely. To fight off the intense thirst and hunger, we resorted to drinking seawater. We truly believed we wouldn't survive. It is a miracle that these fellow fishermen spotted us and brought us back alive," he said.

Cuddalore district collector Sibi Adhithya Senthil Kumar visited the fishermen undergoing treatment at Cuddalore govt general hospital and inquired about their health. The collector appealed to the fishermen not to venture into the sea during the fishing ban season and adhere to the directions of the govt without fail.