Seven missing Konaseema fishermen found safe off West Bengal coast

The missing fishermen from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh after reaching the West Bengal coast on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The seven fishermen from Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Konaseema district in Andhra Pradesh, who went missing in the sea on August 7, were found safe near Shankarpur fishing harbour off West Bengal coast on Wednesday.Contact with the fishermen was lost on August 7 after they went deep-sea fishing off the Andhra coast in search of tuna. They set sail into the sea on a mechanised boat from Odalrevu fish landing point.On Wednesday afternoon, local fishermen found the boat with the missing fishermen on board near the Shankarpur fishing harbour.Later, they gave a cellphone to the missing fishermen, who spoke to their family members in Andhra Pradesh, confirming that they were safe. The fishermen said that they were stranded at sea after the boat engine developed a technical snag.The fishermen on board the missing boat have been identified as Kopanathi Ramakrishna, 49, of Komarigiri village; Kollati Yesudasu, 49, of Bendamuri Lanka; Palepu Santa Rao, 26, and Kollati Srinubabu, 37, of Odalarevu village; Karri Rambabu, 46, of Komarigiripatnam in Allavaram mandal. The remaining fishermen are Sangani Tatarao, 60, of Katrenikona mandal and Kataadi Satish Kumar of I. Polavaram mandal.Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Konaseema District Collector R. Mahesh Kumar was alerted by the families of the missing fishermen.Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed the Collector to initiate measures for the safe return of the fishermen to their homes. He thanked the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Central Marine agencies for extending timely support for the two-week search operation in the sea.A team of Fisheries Department officials have left for West Bengal to bring the missing fishermen back home, the Collector said.“The family members of the missing fishermen alerted the district administration that the missing fishermen had been traced to West Bengal. The boat drifted towards the West Bengal coast after the engine developed a technical glitch,” District Joint Director (Fisheries) K. Karunakar told The Hindu.In an official release, Agriculture Minister and Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Konaseema District In-charge Minister K. Atchannaidu said, “We have confirmed the presence of the missing fishermen who were facilitated to speak to their families.”Indian Navy and Coast Guard had been deployed for the search operation since August 17. Mr. Atchannaidu thanked the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for their timely response.‘Survived without food for three days’The fishermen said that they survived without food for more than three days in the sea before they reached the West Bengal coast.In a telephonic conversation with his family members on Wednesday, Karri Rambabu, 47, shared their ordeals. “We ran out of food stock three days ago. Before it, we managed with the available food stocks, with regular intervals of fasting. We survived without food for three days. The locals of Shankarpur fishing harbour found us at around 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr. Rambabu, hailing from Komaragiripatnam village said. Published - August 26, 2026 07:56 pm IST