Two injured when fishing boat capsizes near Visakhapatnam fishing port; all seven survive

A capsized fishing boat lies wedged against tetrapods off the coast of Visakhapatnam on Thursday, its rescued crew aboard a lifeboat. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Seven fishermen narrowly escaped death after their boat capsized near a fishing port off the Visakhapatnam coast during a fishing trip on Thursday (July 16, 2026) morning.

The ship capsized in strong currents while the crew cast nets, amid rough seas under the influence of a well-marked low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal along the Orissa coast. The waves wedged the boat between the tetrapods, trapping the fishermen underneath.

A fishing boat capsized off the coast of Visakhapatnam on Thursday morning and collided with a quadruped, pinning it against a breakwater. All seven fishermen on board were rescued; two of them hurt.

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The crew clung to the wreckage and survived, but the two fishermen Tatarao and Akash were badly injured. They were taken to King George Hospital (KGH) where they are undergoing treatment.

The capsize dealt a heavy financial blow to the crew, with a boat worth over ₹2.5 million and nets worth ₹2,000 destroyed, the fishermen said. The survivors have appealed to the state government for immediate financial assistance.

Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha spoke to the Visakhapatnam district collector, city police commissioner and fisheries officials over the phone about the accident and directed them to ensure best medical care for the injured fishermen. She also asked officials to educate fishermen on safety standards and said the government would stand by the fishing community.

Six of them have lost outside Gangavaram this month

The capsize comes less than a fortnight after six fishermen were lost when mechanized fishing vessel IND-AP-MM-V5-83, carrying seven of them, capsized about 10 nautical miles off the coast of Gangavaram on July 4. The boat’s engine failed in rough seas and was overturned by a massive wave; the lone survivor, ship owner Kari Chinna, drifted for several hours before being spotted by a passing freighter.

After a 72-hour multi-agency search by the Coast Guard and Navy was called off, a three-member board concluded that the six were presumed dead. Invoking GO 54 to bypass the seven-year wait under the Indian Evidence Act, the state government issued expedited certificates and paid the families ₹10,000 each.

The deaths have renewed demands by fishing organizations for satellite communication terminals, emergency beacons and other safety equipment on state-owned fishing vessels, which mostly lack them.

Published – 16 Jul 2026 11:16 IST