Five days after their boat sank in sea, 4 Odisha fishermen return home

Bhadrak (Odisha), Aug 28 (PTI) Four fishermen of Odisha’s Bhadrak district battled waves, hunger and fatigue, floating on water for five days after their boat sank in the Bay of Bengal, before returning home safely on Thursday.

The four, including a 70-year-old man, refused to give up hope as they clung to some floats and survived only by drinking water they carried in a bottle. When they ventured into the sea from Chudamani fishing harbour under Basudevpur block of the coastal district on August 21 to catch fish, they did not know theirs would be a survival story.

“We had cast a net when the engine suddenly stopped working due to a snag. Despite repeated attempts, it failed to start. We dropped the anchor, but it was ripped away by the strong ocean currents,” said 56-year-old Pabanna Mallick, one of the four fishermen.

The boat then drifted further towards the deep sea.

The fishermen tried to control the vessel for three days using the sail, but on August 24, it broke apart and eventually sank, Mallick said.

“We fell into the water with only a bottle of water. We clung to floats and makeshift supports - some styrofoam articles - to stay afloat,” he said.

After nearly five days, the fishermen reached close to the Sunamuhin forest area on the night of August 27, when they were resuced by locals.

They were taken to the Basudevpur Medical Centre, where doctors confirmed their condition was stable, said Lopamudra Nayak, the inspector in charge of Basudevpur police station.

The other three fishermen are Prakash Mallick (34), Banna Mallick (27) and Sapana Mallick (70). PTI COR BBM BBM NN