A fishing boat with eight fishermen from Karanja in Uran capsized near Khandaeri Fort off the Alibag coast on Saturday morning, resulting in a major sea accident. While five fishermen managed to swim to safety and were later hospitalized with minor injuries, three remain missing, prompting an extensive search operation by local authorities.
The boat, named Tuljai and owned by Manohar Ganpat Koli of Uran-Karanja, had ventured into the sea illegally for fishing, despite the monsoon ban imposed by the Fisheries Department until August 31, said a police officer from Uran police station. It departed from Karanja port at around 7:00 a.m., and by approximately 8:30 a.m., it capsized due to rough sea conditions and strong waves between the Korlai and Khandaeri forts.
Following the incident, the Fisheries Department and police were informed, and search operations were immediately launched. The rescued fishermen were identified as Hemant Baliram Gawand (45) from Avare, Uran; Sandeep Tukaram Koli (38) and Roshan Bhagwan Koli (39), both from Karanja, Uran; Shankar Hira Bhoir (64) and Krishna Ram Bhoir (55), both from Apata, Panvel. All five were brought ashore and admitted to Alibag Civil Hospital for treatment.
The missing individuals have been identified as Naresh Ram Shelar, Dheeraj Koli from Kasavala Pada in Uran, and Mukesh Yashwant Patil. As of now, their whereabouts remain unknown.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with the Raigad police deploying drones to locate the missing fishermen along the coastline. "The three men who went missing were said to be in the cabin of the boat at the time of capsizing. After the five men swam to safety, the locals alerted and that is how we came to know of the incident. The incident happened around more than six nautical miles apart from the shore," assistant police inspector Somnath Lande from Mandwa police station said.
