Bodies of five fishermen from Tamil Nadu found near Kothapatnam beach in Andhra Pradesh

The bodies of three fishermen from Tamil Nadu washed ashore at Kothapatnam coast in Ongole on Thursday while the bodies of two more fishermen were found later in the sea by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) officials at Nizampatnam Port.

Using a Dornier aircraft, the ICG staff in coordination with the personnel of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Chennai, launched a search and rescue (SAR) operation to find five more fishermen, who were sailing on the same boat that sank 2 km off the shore.

According to sources, three boats set out from Tamil Nadu for fishing On October 29, 2026. Owing to the impact of Cyclone Murasu, two boats were anchored for safety near Ramayapatnam Port on November 2 (Monday), while the third boat proceeded towards Nizampatnam Port.

The nine fishermen on the third boat departed from Nizampatnam to meet the other two teams in Ramayapatnam on November 3 (Tuesday). Due to a storm at sea and intense winds, their boat drifted towards the coast of Adani Krishnapatnam Port and capsized.

The nine were identified as Pakkirisamu Suriya (driver), Kuppan, Mohan, Rajesh, Murugan, Kuppusamy, Vijayakanth, Aravindh and Narayanan. While Narayanan was from Cuddalore, the remaining all were from Chennai.

Prakasam District Collector P. Raja Babu, who was in Kothapatnam to inspect the voting process for the local body elections, visited the place where the bodies of the fishermen washed ashore. ‘’The identification of the bodies will take place after the family members and officials from Tamil Nadu arrive,’’ he added.

“Further action regarding the transport of the bodies and bringing the capsized boat to the shore will be taken in consultation with the officials from Tamil Nadu,’’ the Collector said.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson, along with the deceased fishermen’s family members, reached the mortuary of RIMS Hospital in Ongole for the identification of the bodies.

Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Commissioner Rama Shankar Naik and District Collector P. Raja Babu accompanied the Tamil Naidu Minister. The family members identified four bodies. He said the bodies would be taken to Tamil Nadu after police investigation and post-mortem examination.

“I extend my gratitude to the Andhra Pradesh government for its cooperation. We hope to recover the remaining bodies soon,” Mr. Wilson said.

Families’ plea

Families of the fishermen who are still missing have urged the State government to take steps on a war footing to find them.

Bharatheeswaran, son of Pakkiri, said his father had spoken to his mother on the evening of November 2.

“It seems the boat had developed a problem on November 3. We heard that the engine did not work, and water entered it. They had sought the help of nearby boats, and when one of them reached the location after three hours, the boat in distress was missing,” he said.

Chennai Mechanised Boat Owners’ Welfare Association president M.E. Raghupathi said that from the gathered information, the assumption was that the boat had been anchored at a bay in Kavali, where the cyclone made landfall. “Nobody can swim in the sea in such a situation. A team of Fisheries Department officials and fishermen have gone to Ongole GH. We have also called for divers from Thoothukudi, who will bring underwater cameras, to search for the boat.”

Community leader M.D. Dayalan said: “The boat should not have been allowed to leave the fishing harbour. Many boats do not have safety equipment. The department does not conduct surprise checks on boats to see if GPS equipment, life jackets, and equipment to signal distress are working. The government must take steps to search for the men, since if the body is not retrieved, the family will have to wait for seven years before getting the settlement,” he said.

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday announced a solatium of ₹7 lakh each to the families of the fishermen whose bodies had washed ashore, and directed that ₹2 lakh each be disbursed immediately. He also ordered arrangements be made to transport the bodies to Tamil Nadu at the government’s expense and hand them over to the families.

(With inputs from Deepa H. Ramakrishnan and R. Srikanth in Chennai)

Published – November 05, 2026 08:21 pm IST