Fisherman goes missing after two boats collide off the Vasai coast near Mumbai

While details of how the collision took place are still unclear, officials said a tug named ‘Triton Liberty’ was towing a platform, when ‘Morning Star’, also headed in the same route, collided with the platform.

A 42-year-old fisherman went missing after two boats collided in the Arabian Sea, off the Vasai coast, in the Palghar district early on Sunday.

Fishing boat, Morning Star, was towed to Madh Island after the collision early on Sunday. (HT Photo)

The fishing boat ‘Morning Star’, with seven fishermen on board, collided with the platform of a tug boat, around 15 nautical miles off the Vasai coast around 3.50am on Sunday, Indian Coast Guard officials said. The impact threw all seven men off the boat. While the men on the tug boat rescued six of them, they could not find the seventh, Baban Pal. The Indian Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation soon after, using an interceptor boat, a fast patrolling vessel and a Chetak helicopter.

“We searched for more than 10 hours, but were unable to trace Pal. The helicopter returned after sunset, but the ship and fast patrolling vessel are still looking for the fisherman,” said deputy commandant Avinandan Mitra of the Indian Coast Guard.

While details of how the collision took place are still unclear, officials said a tug named ‘Triton Liberty’ was towing a platform, when ‘Morning Star’, also headed in the same route, collided with the platform. “The tug immediately stopped and divers on the tug boat pulled out six fishermen but could not locate Pal,” said another Coast Guard official.

Officials said a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Vasai Gaon police are assisting the Coast Guard.

Officials said the search will continue on Monday. The six other fishermen are out of danger and their boat was towed to Madh Island.