2 fishermen missing after boat sinks after collision with ship off Kerala coast

KOCHI: Two fishermen are missing after a fishing boat sank following a collision with a ship off the Kollam coast, officials said on Sunday. According to coastal police, nine of the 11 crew members on board were rescued by the ship involved in the collision, while search efforts are on to trace the remaining two. The boat, identified as St Joseph, had set out for deep-sea fishing from Shakthikulangara harbour in Kollam on Friday night. All the crew members were migrant workers from other states. The accident occurred on Saturday, about 120 nautical miles off the coast, when the vessel collided with a foreign ship. The impact reportedly caused extensive damage to the fishing boat, which sank shortly afterwards. Following the collision, the ship rescued nine fishermen, but attempts to locate the other two crew members were unsuccessful. Police said the rescued fishermen are expected to be brought ashore at either Kochi or Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram. Officials added that a case will be registered after recording the statements of the rescued crew members. (With agency inputs)