Family members of fishermen break down following the news of their loved ones going missing in the deep sea, in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: V RAJU
:A massive multi-agency search and rescue operation has been launched in the Bay of Bengal following the disappearance of six fishermen from a mechanised vessel (INDAP-VS-MM-83) that went missing after venturing into the sea on July 1. While seven fishermen were initially on board, the boat owner-cum-driver, identified as Karri Chinna, was rescued by a passing commercial vessel on Sunday morning.The missing crew members are reported to be Appalraju, Garagayya, K. Chinnaiah, Sithodu, Bandiyya, and Chinna Ammoru, five of them hailing from Mukkam village in Vizianagaram district, and one from Bheemunipatnam in Visakhapatnam.According to officials, the vessel departed from the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour on July 1. The crisis came to light when the crew contacted their families on Saturday afternoon, stating they were near Gangavaram and expected to return within an hour.Subsequent attempts to reach them failed as their mobile phones became unreachable. After waiting anxiously, the families approached the State administration around 10 P.M. on Saturday, prompting immediate government intervention.Upon receiving the alert, MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas and senior officials apprised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of the situation. A rescue mission involving the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, and the Marine Police was activated through the Joint Operations Center.
