Committee appointed to investigate recent fishing vessel capsizing incidents

Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Rathna Gamage, announced that a special committee has been appointed to investigate the recent incidents of fishing vessels capsizing at sea. 

The Deputy Minister points out that the committee has been formed with the aim of identifying the causes of these accidents and providing appropriate solutions.

Over the past two days, three separate fishing vessel accidents have been reported, resulting in five confirmed deaths, with two fishermen still missing.

A boat accident was reported this morning (29) in the seas off Tangalle. A total of six fishermen were onboard the vessel when it capsized off the coast of Paravi Wella Beach in Tangalle. Four of them were rescued with the help of a dinghy.

Later, the body of one of the two fishermen who went missing after the multi-day fishing vessel capsized was recovered this afternoon, the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) confirmed.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the two fishermen onboard a boat that capsized off the coast of Moragalla, Beruwala, yesterday (28), reportedly washed ashore at Bentota Beach this morning, according to police.

The two fishermen, identified as Nadun Kumara and his brother Duminda Nadun Kumara, were residents of Aluthgama and had gone missing at sea yesterday.

Furthermore, the bodies of two fishermen who were reported missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Galle on June 27 were also recovered yesterday, the Sri Lanka Navy confirmed.

Two other fishermen onboard the same boat were also rescued and brought safely to shore. The vessel, which had five fishermen onboard, had set out from the Dondra Fisheries Harbour on June 27.