Rain havoc: Eight missing fishers found safe, one still missing

The Hindu

7 days ago

Eight of the nine fishers from the district who were reported missing in the sea following rough weather were found on Saturday, much to the relief of their families and the coastal communities.
Four men on the boat Sahayamatha and four others on the boat Fathima Matha were rescued from the sea off Tamil Nadu.
Efforts are on to trace the ninth man, Stellas, who was on a third boat Anu that had set out for fishing from the district. The body of Antony, 52, of Pulluvila, who had been among the crew of five on this boat had been recovered on Friday. The remaining three men had swam to safety.
All the men are from Vizhinjam, Pozhiyoor and nearby areas.
34 families
Two relief camps have been opened in the district for temporarily relocating families displaced in rainfall-related incidents, the district administration said on Saturday. Seventy-nine people from 34 families have been shifted to the camps opened in Thiruvananthapuram and Neyyattinkara taluks.
The heavy rainfall accompanied by gusting winds had caused extensive damage to property in the district over the past one week. It was in this context that the families were relocated to the camps. In the Thiruvananthapuram taluk, the camp has been opened in the Government Upper Primary School, Eenchakkal. Two people from a family have been temporarily put up here. Seventy-seven people from 33 families have been shifted to the Government Upper Primary School at Pozhiyoor in the Neyyattinkara taluk.
Farm sector
The agriculture sector also has reported heavy losses in the district. Crop loss was reported from the Perunkadavila, Athiyannur, and Vamanapuram blocks. The losses on account of the damage to crops on May 30 alone was pegged at ₹22.3 lakh, the district administration said. Crop loss has been reported in 2.58 hectares in Perunkadavila block, 0.44 hectares in Athiyannur block and two hectares in Vamapanpuram.
Meanwhile, MLAs have demanded urgent measures to cut down trees and overhanging branches that pose risk to the public. V.K. Prasanth, MLA, told a meeting of the District Development Committee that in Vattiyurkavu alone, trees and branches came crashing down in the heavy rains in 16 locations. He also called for steps to identify trees that are in a potentially dangerous condition. Ten trees along the National Highway at Attingal also had toppled in the past few days.
After several days of almost incessant rainfall, Thiruvananthapuram district enjoyed a respite on Saturday. No heavy rainfall alert has been issued for the district till June 4, as per a Saturday evening weather update by the India Meteorological Department.