Amalapuram: Indian News Times :Following the disappearance of seven fishermen from the Amalapuram parliamentary constituency, Amalapuram MP Ganti Harish Balayogi met Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday and urged him to intensify the ongoing search and rescue operations. He stated that the seven fishermen had ventured into the sea on August 3, 2026, from the Port Fish Landing Center aboard the fishing boat 'MO 135'. They were scheduled to return on August 15 or 16 but have remained untraced since then, causing deep concern among their families. The Minister was informed that the state government, district administration, Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, Marine Police, and other relevant departments are conducting a joint search operation to locate the fishermen. Coast Guard and Navy vessels have been deployed daily for the search operation since August 17, and two Dornier aircraft have also been utilized. The Coast Guard is mobilizing resources from Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and West Bengal to conduct a massive search in the Bay of Bengal, extending the search area to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Commercial vessels at sea have also been requested via Navtex messages to keep a lookout for the missing boat and immediately inform authorities if any information is obtained. However, the absence of communication or tracking devices—such as AIS, DAT, or satellite phones—on the missing boat is making it difficult to pinpoint its exact location. It was also noted that the most probable search area, identified using INCOIS's SARAT system, is being updated daily and relayed to the search teams at sea. Officials estimate that, based on prevailing ocean currents, the boat is likely to have drifted towards the east or north-east. Considering the possibility that the boat may have drifted into international waters, MRCC Dhaka and authorities in Myanmar have also been informed. Although the fishermen had stocked enough provisions for approximately 17 days, that period has already elapsed. The MP emphasized that time is of the essence and the search operation needs to be sustained on a large scale. He urged for the strengthening of coordination systems to ensure that even the slightest information regarding the missing boat and fishermen is immediately relayed to the relevant authorities, and called for enhanced international coordination with the maritime security and search-and-rescue agencies of Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and other nations. MP Harish appealed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to continue the search on a massive scale using all available resources until the fishermen are safely located; he stressed that every hour is critical, the families of the seven fishermen are in deep distress, and all mechanisms of the central and state governments need to work in coordination to ensure their safe recovery.
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