Search and rescue operations were under way yesterday off the coasts of Galle and Kalutara as the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Air Force continued efforts to locate four missing fishermen following two separate maritime accidents.
According to Navy sources, the SLN deployed Dvora-class patrol vessels, while the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) despatched a Bell 212 helicopter and a Y-12 aircraft to assist in the search.
In one incident off Galle, a fishing vessel carrying five fishermen reportedly collided with a merchant ship. One fisherman was rescued by the Navy while clinging to the sinking boat, said Naval Director of Media, Commander Buddhika Sampath.
“Our teams also recovered two bodies. The search continues for the remaining two missing fishermen,” he added.
When asked if the Navy or Air Force had identified the merchant vessel involved in the collision, Commander Sampath said the matter was still under investigation. The ill-fated fishing boat had departed from Dondra Harbour Dock in Matara.
In a separate incident off Kalutara, a fibreglass dinghy carrying two fishermen capsized. Both men remain missing, Commander Sampath said.
The dinghy had set out from Moragalla Harbour in Kalutara.
In a third, unrelated incident, police have launched an investigation after a fisherman from the multi-day vessel Jaya Isuru, which departed from the Nilwella Fisheries Harbour, was reported missing at sea. It is suspected he may have fallen overboard.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said that the Secretary to the Ministry Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) has instructed the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) to immediately deploy a helicopter to carry out a rescue operation. Rescue operations are ongoing.
