Authorities have zeroed in on an Indian cargo ship off Kerala which is learnt to have hit an Indian fishing boat early on Tuesday killing three fishermen and injuring two, Kerala Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty said.
Nine persons are reported missing, the Minister added.
Based on the timing of the accident and other data, the Coast Guard along with the Indian Navy with the help of the Mumbai-based Maritime Institute has pointed to an Indian cargo ship that was spotted around 11 p.m on Monday off the Alappuzha coast.
The accident took place around 4 a.m. The cargo ship is believed to have started from Mumbai and was bound for Iraq.
Authorities are in touch with the captain of the ship.
The two fishermen who were saved include Edwin, who was steering the boat, and Narain Sarkar, a fisherman. Both are admitted to a state-run hospital near here.
"Edwin was at the wheel and I was near him when we were hit by the ship. The boat overturned. All the others were fast asleep. I was thrown out into the pitch dark sea and I started to swim. We both were rescued by fishermen in other boats," Sarkar said from his hospital bed.
P.V. Sivan, the owner of the boat, has said that there were 14 people in the boat. Nine were from Tamil Nadu, one from Kerala and the from north India, he said.
--IANS
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