Mozambique boat tragedy: After Kochi youth, Kollam native also reported missing

Kochi: A second Keralite has been confirmed missing in the Mozambique boat tragedy, with Sreerag Radhakrishnan (35), a native of Naduvilakara in Thevalakkara near Kollam, among the six Indian nationals still unaccounted for after a launch boat capsized near the Beira port on Thursday.

Sreerag, who has been working on ships for nearly 10 years, was employed by Scorpio Maritime Management India Pvt. Ltd.. He was supposed to board MT Sea Quest, the tanker to which the boat was headed when it overturned in rough weather early Thursday morning.

Having returned to work after a six-month vacation, Sreerag left for Mozambique on Monday morning. "He last called home on Wednesday from the hotel where he was staying after landing. We were informed about the accident by the shipping company the next morning. The Indian Embassy and the company have been in touch with us and are sharing updates. But the rough sea is making it difficult to locate the sunken boat," said Sasikumar, Sreerag’s uncle. 

Sreerag is the son of PP Radhakrishnan and Sheela, and is survived by his wife Jeethu and two children — a six-year-old daughter and a six-month-old son.

Earlier, 22-year-old Indrajith Santhosh from Veliyanad in Piravom was reported missing in the same incident. Indrajith, a mechanical engineer working as a hull inspector with Aries Marine & Engineering Services, Kochi, was also on board the boat along with 20 others, including 14 Indians, when it capsized around 3 am on Thursday. His colleague Akash from Konni, who survived, is currently onboard the ship under treatment.

The Indian High Commission in Mozambique confirmed that three Indian nationals have died, five have been rescued, and six remain missing, believed to be trapped inside the sunken vessel. The wreckage has been located deep underwater near Beira port.