Two bodies, reportedly of fishermen, have been recovered in the Palk Strait, the Sri Lankan Navy said on Wednesday.
“Diving operations have been hampered because of bad weather. Search for the remaining two fishermen will resume soon,” spokesman Indika de Silva told The Hindu. The boat that sank has been found.
The recovery follows news of four Tamil Nadu fishermen “going missing” late Monday, hours after they set out fishing. The Sri Lankan Navy had earlier said that one boat, with four fishermen on board, “sank”, as the Sri Lankan patrol units tried apprehending it, along with some 50 fishing trawlers, found “poaching” in the Sri Lankan territorial waters. The boat sank after it “resisted arrest”, according to officials.
Asked of reports emerging from fishermen in Tamil Nadu, of the said vessel being seen “towed away” by the Sri Lankan Navy before it went “missing”, Captain de Silva said, “That is not true. Before our patrol vessel could apprehend…