Munambam fishing boat accident at Goa coast; fishermen with revelation that cause of accident was unexpected surfacing of Naval submarine

KOCHI: Fishermen who escaped have revealed that the boat that left for fishing from Munambam met with an accident off the Goa coast due to the unexpected surfacing of a Naval submarine from underwater.

Boat owner Liju Michael told Kerala Kaumudi that the fishermen who survived said that the boat sank in the sea within a flash as the submarine emerged at the bottom of the 'Marthoma' boat anchored 70 nautical miles away from Goa.

The boat had left from Munambam for fishing on the 15th. The accident took place at 7.30 pm on the 21st. The workers were sitting on the boat and fishing. At first, they thought a huge whale had hit the boat. The boat soared and plunged into the sea. More than 50 boats from Goa, Gujarat and Kerala were in the vicinity. The other boats didn't know what happened because it was dark.

Missing boat Syrang Janeesh and Ramesh were in the boat cabin. Eleven others slipped and fell into the sea. They were rescued by navy ships, the boat owner said.

A search for the two missing fishermen is ongoing. Six ships of the Navy and divers are on the scene. Eleven people were rescued.

Jeneesh is a native of Kottilpadu in Tamil Nadu. Ramesh is a native of West Bengal. All those who survived were migrant workers. They have been working on Liju's boat for the past few years.

Navy launches investigation

The Navy has launched an investigation into the incident. An officer from Karwar recorded the statements of the boat owner and the fishermen. The boat owner says that the circumstances under which the submarine, which has several radars and so on, could rise underneath the boat should be investigated. Officials from the state fisheries department have also reached Goa.

Loss of Rs 3 crore

The boat, built at a cost of Rs 1.65 crore, was launched a few years ago. There is a loss of Rs 3 crore, including accessories and nets.