Sri Lankan Navy Rams & Sinks Indian Fishing Boat, 7 Fishermen Rescued

The seven fishermen who were on board were rescued by the other fishermen from Tamil Nadu after they raised an alarm on late Wednesday night.

Boats docked up near the shore (Image for representation/PTI)

Chennai: Seven fishermen escaped narrowly from death after a Sri Lankan Navy boat rammed into an Indian fishing boat from Tamil Nadu with seven passengers near Katchatheevu.

As soon as Navy rammed into the boat, it immediately developed cracks and started to sink. The seven fishermen who were on board were rescued by the other fishermen from Tamil Nadu after they raised an alarm on late Wednesday night. 

According to a report on IANS, the All Mechanised Boat Fishermen's Association President Sesuraja said, nearly 450 boats ventured into the sea on Wednesday evening for fishing and while they were fishing near Katchatheevu, the Sri Lankan Navy reached near the place in a boat. Within the next few minutes, they rammed the boat and created a crack on it.

In the impact, the boat started to sink and the fishermen started to raise an alarm to the other fishermen. Fortunately, all of them were rescued and no one lost their lives but all of them suffered huge financial losses, he said. 

Then Sesuraja sought the intervention of the state and Central governments in the issue and demanded them to mount diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka to stop such incidents. 

The Association President highlighted that the fishermen from Rameswaram and Ramapathapuram were the most affected in terms of financial and live losses due to the issue. 

In 2021, at least five Indian fishermen lost their lives due to the attack by Sri Lankan fishermen. Nearly 55 Indian fishermen were placed under arrest by Sri Lankan Navy on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and 68 others were held in December 2021. Of the total, 13 fishermen were released on bail.