We watched the drowning of a comrade helplessly, recall survivors

George from Rajakkamanglam near Colachel in Kanniyakumari district said that there were 16 in their crew and this included two people from Uttar Pradesh and one from Assam who had ventured into the sea from Kollam. The boat (IND KL 04 / 1518) was owned by P Jafet of Kollam. Usually, the boats are managed by the Tamil Nadu fishermen along the Arabian coast.

“We were proceeding off Vizhinjam coast, when our boat experienced severe wobbling. Suddenly, the 500 litre syntax tank that was filled with water and kept atop the wheelhouse flew out and it was then we realized that the boat had capsized,” said George.

“Suddenly, except for the boat driver John Davidson of Colachel, Jegan of Thoothukudi, Johnson of Muttom and George, others were thrown off the boat and lost in a minute,” recalled George about the incident.

We four caught hold of a rope and shouted for help but our voices could hardly be heard over and above the noise of the rough sea. As seconds ticked by we began to lose hope and we thought our rescue was a Sisyphean task. By 11 am on Saturday, our driver John Davidson could not take it any longer. He was terribly affected by the chillness and murmuring that he could no longer hold on, let go off the rope and fell into the cold waters. In no time, we lost him and I am still not able to come to terms with what happened to him,” stated George with a tinge of sadness.

“As we too almost gave up hope, we heard the drone of a copter in half an hour. All three of us waved our hand to catch the attention of the crew and fortunately we were spotted and rescued,” explained George, who is presently undergoing treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and Hospital.