Kochi, March 8 Coast Guard personnel were searching for two crew members of a fishing boat after a ship collided with their vessel off the Kollam coast, officials said on Sunday.
Nine other crew members were rescued, they added.
Even though the Coast Guard on Sunday evening claimed that two bodies were recovered and would be brought to Vizhinjam, they later issued a correction stating that the missing persons have not been located and the search is still ongoing.
The fishing boat, St Joseph, had 11 crew members, all from different states, and was engaged in deep-sea fishing. The vessel had departed from the Shakthikulangara harbour in Kollam on Friday.
According to Coastal Police, the accident occurred on Saturday when the boat was anchored for fishing, and the ship, MT Solis, collided with it approximately 120 nautical miles off the coast.
The impact caused significant damage to the boat, and it subsequently sank, an official said.
Nine crew members of the boat were immediately rescued by the ship involved in the accident and were later transferred to the Indian Coast Guard Ship Anagh.
A search operation by the Coast Guard and fishermen in other fishing boats is underway to locate the missing persons, officials said.
A government press release stated that the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship Anagh successfully evacuated the nine fishermen from MT Solis at sea, approximately 80 nautical miles from Vizhinjam, and brought them safely to Vizhinjam on Sunday.
The ICG's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai received an alert at approximately 1:45 pm on March 7 regarding a sunken Indian fishing boat off Kanyakumari and immediately dispatched the Coast Guard Ship Anagh from Vizhinjam, the statement said.
"Upon arrival, the nine rescued fishermen were taken onboard and provided with first aid. They were then brought to the Vizhinjam harbour on Sunday and transferred to the Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram for further treatment," the statement said.
The ICG stated that it was alleged that the sinking of the fishing boat was caused by a collision with MT Solis. The Directorate General of Shipping has ordered an investigation into the incident. The ill-fated boat was owned by Rajesh Mathew, police said.
The merchant vessel is Panama-registered and was travelling from Oman to Colombo. After recording the statements of the rescued crew members, a case will be registered, officials added.
