Thiruvananthapuram

At least 15 fishermen who ventured into the sea on May 5 from Beypore port in Kozhikode are missing. All of them are natives of Tamil Nadu. Besides, four persons died in isolated incidents across coastal and central Karnataka due to heavy rains and gusty winds triggered by Cyclone Tauktae during the last 24 hours, a weather official said on Sunday.

The boat "Ajmeer Sha" which sailed from the shores of Beypore on May 5 is missing and there is no information about any of the fishermen who were in the boat. Meanwhile another boat which went to the sea at the same time from Beypore has reached the Goan coast following some mechanical failure in its engine.

This boat "Milad-3" also has 15 men from Tamil Nadu and all of them are at 7 nautical miles from Goa. The fishermen organisations have appealed to the Coast Guard and Navy to immediately start rescue operations.

Keelari Preman, state general secretary of fishing boat owners association said, "We have appealed to the Coast Guard, Indian Navy and state government to trace and bring back the missing fishermen. There is no information about the fishermen or of the boat, "Ajmeer Shah" which went fishing from Beypore port."

Cyclone Tuaktae, according to IMD officials, has moved from the Kerala coast and is likely to touch base in Gujarat. While there is a sigh of relief among the officials and people of the state, unabated rains are continuing with thunder and lightning in the state.

Two people are reported dead from the state owing to heavy rains but officials have not yet confirmed the names and other details of the deceased.

With Covid-19 at its peak and heavy rains lashing the state, officials are facing difficulties in rehabilitating people in rain affected areas with the local police, people's representatives and other officials are trying their best.

The heavy floods of 2018 are still lingering in the memory of people of Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. The heavy rains and floods had taken the lives of 483 people and several were injured.

Many lost their homes and belongings and people are worried about whether a repeat of the flood will take place in the state. The Thrissur district collector has already ordered the opening of spillway shutters of Peringalkuthu dam. The people staying on the banks of Chalakudy River are being given warnings on the opening of shutters.

More than 150 people are being rehabilitated in various camps in Ernakulam district and the officials are taking care that the people who are in camps stay according to Covid protocols.

In Karnataka, four persons died in isolated incidents across coastal and central regions of the state due to heavy rains and gusty winds triggered by Tauktae during the last 24 hours. "The isolated incidents occurred since late Saturday in Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts, as heavy rains induced by the cyclone lashed the state," Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre head Sunil Gavaskar said.

In the first incident, a fisherman died near Karwar in Uttar Kannada, as he was towing his boat to the shore when another boat floating in the sea crashed on him from behind due to strong winds and heavy rains.

In the second incident, a farmer was electrocuted in his farmland near Udupi on the west coast when he came in contact with a live wire which fell in his field due to gusty wind amid heavy rain.

In the third incident, a middle-aged man died in Chikkamagaluru district when the tiled-roof house in which he was sleeping collapsed due to heavy rains.

In the fourth incident, a person died due to lightning in Shivamogga district in Malnad region while he was taking shelter under a shade during the rain.

"Though the eye of the cyclone was about 120km southwest of the coast over the Arabian Sea and moving towards northwest direction towards Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat on Sunday afternoon, depression and strong winds led to heavy rains in the state's coastal areas and Malnad region," said Gavaskar.

Moderate to heavy rains and gusty winds caused sea erosion on the west coast and inundated low-laying areas in the affected districts.

"About 120 houses were damaged in Dakshina Kannada district due to heavy rains since Saturday. The affected people were shifted to relief centres set up by the state government in the district," added Gavaskar.