Sri Lankan officials have informed their counterparts about the recovery of the bodies and asked them to send photographs of fishermen who went missing to confirm their identity, Pudukottai Assistant Director of Fisheries Kumaresan said.
According to the official, four fishermen from nearby Thangachimadam had put out to sea from Pudukottai on Monday and were fishing near Neduntheevu in Sri Lanka when it collided with the Navy vessel and a search was on by different agencies, including the Indian Coast Guard. Officials in Pudukottai and Coast Guard station here were informed on Wednesday evening about the recovery of the two bodies by Lankan Navy. Rameswaram Coastal Fishermen Association president S Emerit said they have also been informed about the development and asked to send identification marks and photos of the missing fishermen.
The Sri Lankan Navy had on Tuesday said it has launched a search and rescue operation for "unknown number of missing fishermen" and the sunken boat after the mid-sea incident. The information about death of the fishermen came a day after 40 fishermen from the state, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in recent times, returned to Chennai after being released. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for it, Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday sought efforts for the release of 12 more fishermen and all mechanised boats in the custody of the island nation.
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