India
Five Tamil Nadu Fishermen Bodies Found Near Kothapatnam Beach, Andhra Pradesh
Three fishermen from Tamil Nadu washed ashore at Kothapatnam coast in Ongole on Thursday, while two more were later found in the sea by Indian Coast Guard officials at Nizampatnam Port. A Dornier aircraft and personnel from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai launched a search and rescue operation to locate five additional fishermen who were sailing on the same boat that sank 2 km off the shore. Three boats departed from Tamil Nadu for fishing on 29 October 2026. Due to Cyclone Murasu, two boats anchored near Ramayapatnam Port on 2 November, while the third proceeded toward Nizampatnam Port. The nine fishermen on the third boat left Nizampatnam to meet the other two teams at Ramayapatnam on 3 November. A storm and intense winds caused their boat to drift toward 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. Narayanan was from Cuddalore; the others were from Chennai. Prakasam District Collector P. Raja Babu, who was in Kothapatnam inspecting the voting process for local body elections, visited the site where the bodies washed ashore. “The identification of the bodies will take place after the family members and officials from Tamil Nadu arrive,” he said. “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,” he added. Tamil Nadu Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson, along with the deceased fishermen’s family members, reached the mortuary of RIMS Hospital in Ongole for identification. Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Commissioner Rama Shankar Naik and District Collector P. Raja Babu accompanied the minister. Four bodies were identified by the families. The bodies will 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 of the missing fishermen have urged the state government to act urgently. Bharatheeswaran, son of Pakkiri, said his father had spoken to his mother on the evening of 2 November. “It seems the boat had developed a problem on 3 November. We heard that the engine did not work, and water entered it. They had sought help from 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 stated that the boat had likely 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,” he said. Community leader M.D. Dayalan warned that the boat should not have left the fishing harbour and that many boats lack safety equipment. He called for surprise checks on GPS, life jackets and distress signalling equipment. The government must search for the men, as families will have to wait seven years for settlement if bodies are not retrieved. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced a solatium of ₹7 lakh each for the families of the fishermen whose bodies washed ashore and directed that ₹2 lakh each be disbursed immediately. He also ordered arrangements to transport the bodies to Tamil Nadu at the government’s expense and hand them over to the families.