Kollam: Four fishermen died after a fishing boat sank off the Oachira coast in Kerala's Kollam district on Thursday.
Seven fishermen were rescued and five others in the boat, Omkaram, swam to safety.
There were 16 people onboard Omkaram, which ventured into sea from Tharayilkadavu near Arattupuzha.
The deceased have been identified as Sudevan, Sunil Dutt, Thankappan and Sreekumar, all natives of Tharayilkadavu. The bodies are now at a nearby private hospital.
The rescued fisher folk were taken to the government hospital in Kayamkulam and the Alappuzha Medical College in Vandanam.
Two of them are in critical condition.
Fishermen said the boat capsized due to tidal waves.
The boat capsized around one nautical mile away from Azheekal beach on Thursday morning. The boat is owned by Aravindan of Azheekal, the police said.
Fishing boats nearby carried out the rescue operations, police said.
Financial aid for families
Minister for Fisheries, Saji Cherian has announced an emergency aid of Rs 10,000 for the families of the deceased and Rs 5,000 for those under treatment.
Meanwhile, the fishermen have complained that the coastal police did not respond to their SOS calls over wireless.
Talking to Manorama News, fishermen alleged that while the Azheekal unit that was nearby failed to reach out, those from Thottappally arrived, but it was too late.
