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Karnataka

Karnataka

Boat collides with ship; narrow escape for nine fishermen

Special Correspondent

The accident took place in the high seas off Mangalore

The fishermen were returning to the harbour after a warning that the sea was rough
Third accident around here in as many days

MANGALORE: Nine fishermen had a narrow escape when their boat collided with a ship in the high seas around 2.30 a.m. about 30 nautical miles off Mangalore in the early hours of Friday.

One of the injured fishermen was operated upon in a private hospital. Five others, who were injured, opted to return to their native place, Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, for treatment from local traditional practitioners.

The fishermen were returning to the harbour here after a warning was issued that the sea was rough. The accident occurred when visibility was poor because of rain. This is the third accident in the waters around Mangalore in as many days. In the earlier tragedies, six persons were killed when a part of the power plant across the Nethravati collapsed in Uppinangady; and 11 persons, including seven schoolchildren, were killed when a school bus plunged into the Gurupur river at Ulaibettu near Mangalore-Moodbidri road on Thursday.

“I thought I was dead. I do not know how I survived,” was how Thanistan Francis described the accident. He and his brother Simson Francis (29) were thrown out of the boat after the collision.

The brothers said survival chances had been remote going by the speed at which the ship was moving. The fishermen from other boats in the vicinity rushed to their rescue and brought them to the shore.

Sugairaj Silvapillai (40), had a head injury, while Karmil Supriya (60) was nursing a wound on his leg. They had bruises on their bodies.

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