Despite the harsh weather, the search for the six fishermen continues at sea and in the air

Family members of the missing fishermen staged a protest on Monday at Port Road near the fishing port in Visakhapatnam. | Photo credit: KR DEEPAK

A fisherman rescued from a mechanized fishing boat that went missing off the coast of Visakhapatnam was safely brought ashore by the Indian Navy on Monday evening, even as the search for the remaining six fishermen continued.

Kari Chinna, the sole survivor of the seven fishermen who ventured into the sea aboard the mechanized fishing vessel IND-AP-MM-VS-83, was airlifted by a Navy helicopter and taken to INS Dega around 7:00 p.m. He was later sent for a medical examination after which the doctors declared him to be in good health.

Inspector General of Police (Visakhapatnam Range) and Additional Director General of Coastal Security Gopinath Jatti said the search and rescue operation for the six missing fishermen will continue until they are traced.

Addressing a press conference at the Collectorate along with Joint Collector Gobbilla Vidyadhari and Visakhapatnam South MLA Vamsi Krishna Srinivas Yadav, Mr. Jatti said, “Immediately after receiving information about the incident, the Coast Guard alerted the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy following which a coordinated search and rescue operation was launched.”

The mechanized fishing vessel left the Visakhapatnam fishing port on 1 July and was scheduled to return on 4 July. Officials said the ship was suspected of being involved in an accident due to adverse weather conditions, strong winds and high waves. Of the seven fishermen on board, Mr Chinna was rescued by the Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel MV Universe Wealth.

Mr. Jatti added that two Indian Coast Guard vessels, two Indian Navy ships, Dornier aircraft, helicopters and electronic surveillance through the Regional Operating Station (ROS), Visakhapatnam, have been deployed in the search operations. Despite waves as high as four meters and strong winds hampering the operation, the standard 72-hour search was extended by another 24 hours. He said the search will continue until the missing fishermen are traced and that the government is in constant contact with the affected families while providing all necessary assistance.

Mr Jatti appealed to fishermen to ensure that the transponders installed on their boats remain switched on whenever they venture out to sea.

In a separate update, the Indian Coast Guard said it has deployed ICGS Kanak Lata Barua and ICGS Veera along with three helicopters in the search operation. The Eastern Naval Command also deployed two warships, the Sea King and the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). The operation is being monitored by the Regional Operations Center (ROC), Visakhapatnam.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, 20 fishermen were stranded after their fishing boat had engine problems in rough weather and were rescued jointly by Coastal Security Police, Indian Coast Guard and Odisha Maritime Police. They were safely transferred to another fishing vessel before being taken to the coast of Odisha with the help of the Coast Guard.

Published – 06 Jul 2026 21:31 IST