Recently, there was news of the death of five fishermen who drank alcohol from a bottle they found floating in the sea while they were fishing near Sri Lanka.
The fishermen had set sail from the fishing port of Tangalle in the southern part of Sri Lanka on a vessel called Devon 5, with 6 people on board. They came across a 5-litre bottle with liquid floating in the sea.
The crew, including the captain, took the bottle and drank its contents despite realising it contained alcohol. It has not been confirmed whether the drink was indeed alcohol.
Subsequently, they fell critically ill, and one of them used a message exchange machine to communicate the situation to a centre on land.
The staff at the land centre then alerted the Director General of Fisheries and the Navy about the incident. The Sri Lanka Navy’s Vijayabahu was dispatched to the vessel’s location with medical assistance to aid the fishermen.
05 fishermen die… one survives…
According to Sri Lanka Navy media spokesperson Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya, efforts are being made to bring a boat to shore with the five fishermen who lost their lives.
The incident occurred approximately 365 nautical miles (675 km) from Deundara Point, south of Sri Lanka. Captain Wickramasuriya stated that reaching such a distant location was challenging, even with a helicopter.
The Navy ship Vijayabahu took a long time to reach the area where the boat and deceased fishermen were located.
A merchant ship sailing under the Singaporean flag in the same area was also involved in the rescue efforts. The Singaporean ship successfully rescued two critically ill fishermen, but unfortunately, one of them passed away.
The remaining person was handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy, brought to the island, and is currently hospitalised.
The dead sailors are still in the sea
Unfortunately, the fishing boat Devon 5 experienced a technical failure while transporting the deceased fishermen, which led to a delay in bringing their bodies back to the shore. On board were 42-year-old M.J. Nayanakantha, a resident of Tangalle, along with others living around Kudavella and nearby areas: 32-year-old M.T. Sujith, 23-year-old P.D. Jayasuriya, 43-year-old T.B. Sujith Kumar, 34-year-old R.B.G. Pradeep Nishantha, and 56-year-old G.M. Ajith Kumar, all of whom were fishermen.
Compensation to families of dead fishermen
The Sri Lankan government is working to compensate the families of the deceased fishermen. An official from the Ministry of Fisheries noted that this case is exceptional as there has never been a death caused by drinking a substance found in the sea.
The government is taking steps to secure the Cabinet’s approval to initiate the compensation process for the affected families.
The Vijayabahu ship, carrying the only surviving fisherman, arrived at Hambantota port on July 1st. Navy spokesperson Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya stated that the body of one of the deceased fishermen was also brought ashore by the Vijayabahu ship.
Also given to a group of another vessel
Chanaka Kumara, the person in charge of the Devon-05 fishing vessel, reported that the fishermen drank a portion of the liquor bottle found floating in the sea, resulting in all of them getting sick.
He stated that the vessel departed from the Tangalle Dhiwara port on June 6th. Four people from Tangalle, two from Weligama, and individuals from the Ambalantota areas were on board for work.
Additionally, it was mentioned that the Devon 5 fishermen tried to offer some of the substance from the bottle to a different group of passing fishermen, but this attempt was unsuccessful.
The Sri Lanka Fisheries Department has stated that it has not been confirmed whether the substance is alcohol or another toxic solution. Investigations are underway to determine its nature.
Some fishermen from another vessel boarded the Devon 5 to enquire about the situation. They later reported the incident to the authorities on land. It was discovered that the skipper, a 42-year-old named M.J Nayanakanta, had passed away.
Allegation of relatives
The relatives of the fishermen’s families are accusing the government of not taking action to rescue them by launching an air operation.
They wonder why aeroplanes and helicopters, which are used for many purposes in the country, were not used to rescue a group of fishermen who were in danger in the middle of the sea.
The Sri Lanka Navy claims that it was impossible to direct the aircraft to the sea area where the fishermen were. However, it is a fact that the navy took the necessary measures to save their lives with the help of a Singaporean ship.
