Ongole, Nov 6:
The bodies of four Tamil Nadu fishermen who went missing after their boat capsized in rough seas off the Andhra Pradesh coast during Cyclone Murasu have been recovered, maritime authorities confirmed on Thursday.
Prakasam District Collector P. Raja Babu stated that the fishermen had sailed out from Chennai on October 29. Following severe weather alerts, four mechanized boats had initially anchored safely at Andhra ports, including one at Nizampatnam. However, on November 3, nine fishermen aboard the Nizampatnam vessel attempted to navigate towards Ramayapatnam without clearance, where high-velocity gale winds and rough swells triggered by Cyclone Murasu overturned the craft.
Search teams recovered three bodies washed ashore along Kothapatnam beach, while a fourth was retrieved from sea waters; all four have been moved to the Ongole Government General Hospital mortuary. The Collector confirmed that Tamil Nadu officials have been coordinated with to hand over the remains, while Indian Coast Guard ships and local marine units continue rescue sweeps to trace the remaining five missing fishermen.