Daijiworld Media Network - Amaravati
Amaravati, Aug 25: Search operations in the Bay of Bengal for seven fishermen from the Amalapuram region of Andhra Pradesh have been intensified with the deployment of 15 Indian Coast Guard (ICG) vessels and four helicopters.
Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Kinjarapu Atchannaidu said on Tuesday that an extensive search was being conducted in coordination with the ICG, Indian Navy and other concerned departments, with support from the Central Government.
The minister said the Union Ministry of Defence heightened the alert for the Coast Guard after Amalapuram MP Harish Balayogi met Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing search efforts.
Following directions from the Deputy Director General (Operations) at ICG headquarters, the Eastern and North-Eastern Commands in Kolkata have also been mobilised, Atchannaidu said.
He said 15 ICG vessels and four helicopters stationed in nearby waters were deployed on Tuesday to expand the search area and accelerate the operation.
Electronic surveillance is also being carried out under the supervision of the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). Maritime authorities in Myanmar and Bangladesh have been alerted as authorities explore the possibility of obtaining information about the missing boat or locating it.
The fishermen, from Ambedkar Konaseema district, had ventured into the Bay of Bengal on their boat on August 3 and were scheduled to return on August 12.
The minister said the Coast Guard was examining several possibilities, including the boat drifting into foreign waters or becoming stranded at sea following a technical engine failure.
Authorities are continuously analysing information received from various maritime agencies alongside electronic surveillance conducted by the MRCC, he said.
The search is taking into account ocean currents, wind direction and speed, weather conditions and the routes generally followed by fishermen. Extensive searches are being conducted across Diamond Harbour, the Sundarbans and surrounding marine areas.
Atchannaidu said the state government was continuously monitoring the situation and coordinating with Central Government departments.
He stressed that every available avenue was being utilised to locate the missing fishermen and bring them back safely.