Officials probe as fishers say SL Navy vessel hit boat

MADURAI: A country boat, which sailed off Thangachimadam near Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram district, suffered damage after a Sri Lankan Navy vessel allegedly hit the boat by accident. However, the fishermen on board are safe, sources said on Saturday.

P Jesuraja, president, Ramanathapuram District All Mechanized Boats Fishermen, said four fishermen set out in the boat off Thangachimadam on Friday morning and the incident occurred close to International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) on Friday night. The boat was damaged slightly and the fishermen took the issue to the attention of the Fisheries Department, he said.

However, official sources, when contacted, said there’s no authentic information received about such an incident. A team led by the Assistant Director of Fisheries inspected the boat. As per report, there’s a crack between rudder and stern on the boat, which seemed old and its condition is poor. There seemed to be no concrete evidence of an accident.