Eight AP fishermen missing at sea since August 3, search operation underway

Eight fishermen from Andhra Pradesh's B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district have been missing at sea since August 3. The Coast Guard and state authorities have launched an intensified search for the boat, while Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to maintain contact with their families

Amaravati: Eight fishermen from Andhra Pradesh’s B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district went missing at sea, officials said on Tuesday. The fishermen, who had set out on a boat in the Bay of Bengal for fishing on August 3, were scheduled to return on August 12.

The families of the fishermen were anxious as there had been no communication from them since the time they ventured into the sea. Andhra Pradesh officials have alerted the Indian Coast Guard, and the search was on for the missing fishermen.

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Meanwhile, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a review meeting with officials regarding the incident in which a boat carrying fishermen from Odalarevu, Dummalapeta, and Vasalatippa villages in Allavaram Mandal of B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district went missing at sea.

The Chief Minister inquired about the ongoing search operations to locate the eight fishermen on board. He directed officials to intensify the search efforts until the missing boat and fishermen are found.

Officials informed the Chief Minister that the fishermen’s boat had set out to sea for fishing from the Odalarevu jetty at 10 a.m. on August 3. They stated that while contact with family members was maintained via phone until 11 a.m., no further information was received thereafter.

Officials noted that the fishermen were carrying mobile phones in addition to a VHF set on the boat. They estimated that the boat likely reached the fishing grounds around 6 p.m. that same day. Officials mentioned that although the boat was scheduled to return by August 12, it failed to do so, prompting the immediate launch of a special search operation.

They further reported that the Coast Guard Commandant had been alerted and that Coast Guard vessels were actively conducting the search. Fishing boats from Kakinada, Bhairavapalem, Visakhapatnam, and Paradip have been alerted, and efforts were underway to gather information regarding the missing boat, they said.

The Chief Minister directed officials to maintain constant communication with the families of the missing fishermen and keep them updated on the search operations. He emphasised the need to utilise all available avenues to locate the fishermen safely and to coordinate all necessary actions.

He made it clear that the search operation must continue through the coordinated efforts of the Coast Guard, the Fisheries Department, and the district administration until the boat is found. Chief Minister Chandrababu assured the affected families that the government stands firmly behind them.

Last month, six fishermen died after the boat carrying them capsized just 10 nautical miles off the Gangavaram coast in Visakhapatnam. A mechanised fishing vessel, carrying seven fisherfolk, had set off for fishing on July 1. The boat capsized while they were returning to the coast on July 4. One of them was rescued by the crew of a merchant vessel, and he was brought to the coast on July 6.

The fishermen remained untraced after a four-day-long search and rescue operation by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. The search operation was called off on July 8. The state government distributed an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the six fishermen.