Guj: 2 fishermen drown as three boats capsize in stormy sea

Two fishermen drowned and 18 others were rescued when three boats capsized in the Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast in Gir Somnath district in the wee hours of Monday, police said.

One fisherman was still missing, they said.

The mishap took place due to strong winds blowing over the sea around 25 to 30 nautical miles from Una's Saiyad Rajpara fishing port, an official at Nava Bandar marine police station said.

While some fishermen ventured on two boats from Una in the district, the others came on a boat from Diu, he said.

"One of the boats from Una, named 'Dariyasagar', carrying seven fishermen onboard capsized between 2.30 am and 3.30 am on Monday. Two fishermen drowned while one was missing," he said, adding that four others were rescued.

The deceased were identified as Poona Bambhaniya and Hemat Makwana, he said, adding that search was underway for the missing fisherman.

Besides, two others boats also capsized in the sea waters around the same time, but all 14 fishermen onboard were rescued, the official said.