Two women drown, man missing in sea off Devipattinam

Madurai: Two women from Madurai, who had visited Ulaganayagi Amman temple in Devipattinam in Ramanathapuram district for Masi Amavasya, drowned during a boat ride in the sea. The victims, I Manimegalai, 50, and K Irulayi, 55, from Solaialagupuram in Madurai, were sitting on the edges of the boat when the incident occurred. M Muthumani, 35, from Sunnambukara Theru in Madurai, who jumped into the sea to rescue them, is also feared dead as he remains missing till Monday evening. All three were part of a 13-member group from Madurai who had decided to take a joy ride in the sea after offering their prayers at the temple.The incident occurred half a km away from the shore, and the boat’s sharp turn caused the women to fall into the sea. The remaining group members alerted local fishermen, who began a rescue operation. Marine police registered a case and recovered the bodies. They were taken to the Ramanathapuram government hospital for postmortem. According to police, the visitors took the boat without the owner’s permission, and the boat rides into the sea are illegal. The boat owner, R Sundar, has been arrested for negligence.