Amaravati: Seven of the nine missing Tamil Nadu fishermen have died after their boat capsized off the Andhra Pradesh coast amid adverse weather conditions caused by severe cyclonic storm Murasu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Friday.
Expressing grief over the deaths, Naidu directed officials to intensify search operations to trace the two fishermen who remain missing.
"Seven Tamil Nadu fishermen have lost their lives in the boat accident off the Andhra Pradesh coast amid adverse weather conditions caused by severe cyclonic storm Murasu. We have directed officials to intensify search operations to trace the two fishermen who remain missing," Naidu said in an official press release.
The chief minister enquired with officials about the accident and the ongoing rescue operations.
Officials informed Naidu that search operations had been underway for the past three days and that the boat had washed ashore at Kothapatnam beach in Prakasam district. Seven of the nine fishermen aboard had died, while two remained missing, they said.
Official sources said five bodies were recovered on Thursday and two on Friday.
The bodies were being identified, and necessary relief measures were being taken, officials told the chief minister.
Naidu directed the Coast Guard, Marine Police, local fishermen and other concerned departments to coordinate their efforts to trace the missing men. He also asked officials to expedite the identification of the deceased and post-mortem examinations, and ensure that the bodies were handed over to their families without delay.
As the fishermen were from Tamil Nadu, Naidu instructed officials to coordinate with their counterparts in the neighbouring state and arrange for the mortal remains to be transported to their native places.
At least nine Tamil Nadu fishermen from Chennai were part of a group whose boats had taken shelter at Andhra Pradesh ports ahead of Cyclone Murasu. The storm crossed the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, on Tuesday. Three boats were anchored at Ramayapatnam and one at Nizampatnam.
On 3 November, the nine fishermen aboard the boat based at Nizampatnam set out for Ramayapatnam to join their colleagues without informing the authorities in either state. Their boat capsized amid strong winds.