Kerala: 3 fishermen killed after ship collides with boat

Three fishermen were killed after a ship collided with a boat, carrying around 14 fishermen, at the Munamban harbour of Ernakulam district in Kerala.

While two victims were saved by fishermen nearby, nine others are still missing. The incident took place in the wee hours of Tuesday, approximately 24 nautical miles (44Kms) away from the shore.

The Directorate General of Shipping has been informed about the incident. The Joint Operation Centre in Kochi, under the Southern Naval Command, is monitoring the entire situation.

Superintendent of Police (rural) Rahul R Nair said, "Coast Guard, Navy vessels, and helicopters are on a lookout. So far, two bodies have been recovered. We are yet to identify the nine missing people."

The rescue operation is underway, while the Navy has already diverted a Sea King helicopter in the air to proceed to the spot for the search and rescue of survivors. A Dornier aircraft has also been launched to look around the entire area.

Meanwhile, Indian Coast Guard has also diverted an interceptor boat and a ship to the area.

In addition to this, another Dornier aircraft is getting airborne in order to investigate the merchant ships, which were present in the area at the time of the collision.

--ANI