3 fishermen missing after boat capsizes off Odisha coast; 5 rescued

Jagatsinghpur SP Rahul PR said the eight fishermen had been fishing in the sea for the last two days and were returning when their vessel capsized after hitting a sand bar

Published on: Sep 19, 2023, 22:02:08 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: Three fishermen have gone missing after a fishing boat capsized in the sea near Paradip port on Tuesday.

Five fishermen were rescued by a joint team of Coast Guard, Marine Police, Paradip Port Authority, and CISF personnel. (Videograb/PTI)

Jagatsinghpur superintendent of police (SP) Rahul PR said eight fishermen were returning to the shore after fishing in the sea for the last two days when their trawler capsized after hitting a sand bar.

“After the trawler capsized, a rescue operation was launched by the Coast Guard, Marine Police, Paradip Port Authority, and CISF. Due to the timely intervention of CISF and the Port, five fishermen could be rescued,” said the SP.

A chopper of the Indian Coast Guard was pressed into service.

The police officer said three fishermen were missing and marine police officers were trying to ascertain if they were able to swim to safety.

The boat owner Purendra Biswal said the fishermen had repeatedly asked the administration to carry out dredging at the mouth of the sea but this wasn’t done, lealeading to the incident.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More