Two fishermen were killed when their boat was ripped apart by a ship off the Kerala coast on Monday, police said.
According to the coastal police in Ponnani, the incident happened at 1.30 am around 14 nautical miles (25 km) away from the Chavakkad coast in Thrissur district. The fishing boat had six fishermen on board.
The deceased were identified as Abdul Salam, 43, and Gafoor 45, both natives of Azheekal. The four others were rescued by the crew of the ship, identified as Sagar Yuvaraj, a general cargo vessel.
The police said the fishing boat, named Islahi, had left the Ponnani harbour in Malappuram district on Friday.
“The incident has been communicated to other government agencies including the Directorate of Shipping Services, the nodal agency to probe the incident and take action against the cargo vessel,’’ a source said.