UPDATE: Ship Identified in Hit and Run Incident, 2 Fishermen Left Dead
Update: Monday, March 5, 2012
The cargo ship involved in the hit and run collision that killed 2 fishermen was identified late friday evening. The alleged vessel responsible is the MV Prabhu Daya, which flys a Singapore flag and is owned by a Mumbai company. The official confirmation has not yet been publicly announced, however.
Mumbai's Marine Rescue Coordination Centre tracked the ship using the Vessel Traffic Monitoring System after the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and the Kerala Marine Enforcement was unable to locate the suspect vessel through sea and air searches.
The ship, owned by Tolani Shipping Co., was supposed to be on its way from Goa to Singapore carrying iron ore. The MRCC made the identifcation after the ship left Colombo to make its way to its final destination.
The travelling MV Prabhu Daya was blocked off by authorities off the Tamil Nadu coast and was instructed to return to Kochi for confirmation and further investigation. Surviving witnesses reported seeing the vessel turn off all the lights on board and continue south bound.
The ship's crew will now be questioned for responsibilty of the accident. A search for the three missing fishermen is ongoing; they may have been trapped in the boat after the sinking. The Navy deployed the INS Sarvekshak for the search, as it is equipped with side scan sonar.
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Initial Report: Friday, March 2, 2012
Continuous efforts to identify a ship that struck a fishing boat off Kerala’s coast are ongoing. The accident caused the death of two fishermen prompting shipping authorities to question numerous vessels that pass through the area.
Several ships in close proximity to the reported accident have been tracked by Coast Guard authorities and others involved in the collision are being investigated.
Again, two fishermen were killed and another three are missing as their boat was hit by an unidentified ship off Alappuzha coast. A search has been launched for the three missing men, but nothing conclusive has been found. A total of seven fishermen were onboard the vessel; only two were rescued and brought ashore by nearby boats. The Navy and Coast Guard are now involved in tracking down the ship that is responsible for these deaths.
The two deaths have shocked the fishing community of Neendakara in Kollam district as it happened within two weeks after two fishermen were allegedly shot dead by Marines onboard Italian ship 'Enrica Lexie'.