Fishers escape unhurt as boat breaks loose, hits Sakthikulangara coast

Kollam: A fishing boat being towed to shore after suffering a gearbox failure broke loose from its towline and crashed onto the coast at Sakthikulangara early Monday, forcing the srank (skipper) and 12 workers to jump into the sea and swim to safety. All 13 escaped unhurt, but the boat is now partly buried in sand and at risk of further damage from strong waves.

The fishing boat named Kairali, owned by I Jagesh of Elavam Veedu at Puthenthera in Neendakara, was being towed from Anjuthengu by a Marine Enforcement vessel when the incident occurred around 1.30 am near Sakthikulangara harbour. But as the vessels were approaching the harbour, strong waves pushed the Marine Enforcement boat abruptly off course. The towline snapped while its crew was attempting to manoeuvre the vessel, leaving Kairali adrift. The boat was swept towards the shore near St John de Britto Church, where it crashed against rocks and a sandbank before coming to a halt and waves began washing sand and seawater into the tilted vessel.

With strong waves prevailing due to the Kallakkadal phenomenon, the boat could suffer extensive damage if it is not removed soon. Though officials of the Fisheries Department, Marine Enforcement and Coastal Police reached the spot by Sunday afternoon, no immediate steps were taken to move the vessel.

The boat had left Sakthikulangara harbour around 3am on Saturday for fishing and developed a gearbox failure around 3 pm near Anjuthengu. Skipper A Manikandan, a native of Vellimo,n initially tried to contact Jagesh but could not reach him. He then alerted the Coast Guard at Vizhinjam.

The Coast Guard team rushed to the spot, inspected the vessel and found that the gearbox could not be repaired at sea, prompting them to advise that the boat be towed back to shore. Meanwhile, Jagesh, who learnt of the incident around 7 pm, contacted minister Shibu Baby John. Later that evening, Marine Enforcement officials reached Anjuthengu with a vessel and began towing Kairali towards Sakthikulangar

Recalling the ordeal, Manikandan said the crew was already anxious after the boat developed a fault in the middle of the sea, particularly as strong waves were prevailing due to the Kallakkadal phenomenon. They tried several times to contact Marine Enforcement officials but could not get through before alerting the Coast Guard.The Coast Guard team later confirmed that the gearbox had failed. “By then, we were also able to get in touch with the owner. His assurance that every effort was being made to rescue us came as a great relief,” Manikandan said.

The towline snapped several times during the journey back to shore, he said. As the vessels neared Sakthikulangara harbour, strong waves suddenly pushed the Marine Enforcement boat off course, causing the line to snap again and leaving Kairali adrift.“We were asleep when a loud noise jolted us awake. Realising that the boat had hit the shore, we jumped into the water and swam to safety,” Manikandan said.

Jagesh said the delay in bringing the Marine Enforcement vessel to the site had added to his concerns. He said the accident occurred around 3pm on Saturday and, though the authorities were informed that night, the Marine Enforcement team left for Anjuthengu only at 3pm on Sunday.“The boat was brought to Sakthikulangara around 1.30am on Monday. If it is not moved from here immediately, I could suffer a loss of around ₹50 lakh. I had spent ₹9 lakh on repairs before putting the boat back into service,” he said.

Jagesh said he was already facing financial difficulties, with one of his two boats out of service. “This tragedy occurred just as I was trying to repay my debts with the income from this boat. It is a huge relief that none of the workers was injured,” he said.