Four men went missing as fishing boat capsizes off Beypore coast

Two fishermen were rescued and a search is on for four others after a fishing boat capsized on being hit by a ship about 46 nautical miles off the Beypore coast.

Six fishermen had set out for the sea on the fishing boat 'Emmanuel' from Munambam near Kochi on Thursday. Their boat started sinking around 8.00 pm, Beypore coastal police said. 

Two of them, Xavier, 58, and Karthik, 19, were rescued by fellow fishermen in the vicinity. The duo along with another injured fisherman Lopus was taken to a hospital in
Coastguard vessel. A search is on for the missing fishermen, they said.

A release by the PRO of Indian Naval Base at Kochi said a Coastguard Dornier aircraft on a routine sortie from Kochi this morning received a radio message from a fishing boat 'St Mary' about damage to another boat 'Emmanuel'. 

The boat with about six crew members was sinking. Two of them were rescued by another boat 'Govind' in the vicinity, the release said. 

The aircraft established contact with 'Govind' and located the sinking boat,  about 46 nautical miles from Beypore. An extensive search was conducted around 40 nautical miles around the boat by the aircraft.

A coastguard vessel CG404 deployed for the search and rescue operation could not locate them and returned to Beypore with the two rescued crew and another person of 'Govind' boat.

Another CG vessel has been deployed to continue the search operation, the release said, adding the search would continue tomorrow with the help of another aircraft and ship deployed in Kochi.