Visakhapatnam, July 5 (IANS) One of the seven fishermen who went missing in the sea off the Visakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh returned safely on Sunday while the search operation intensified for the remaining fishermen, officials said.

A group of seven fishermen belonging to Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts had left for fishing from Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour on July 1.

As the sea conditions turned rough due to a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, their families contacted them over mobile phones to alert them. The fishermen told their families they would return to the coast by the afternoon of July 4.

As they did not return and their mobile phones were found switched off, anxious families alerted the Coast Guard and Marine Police.

The crew of a ship rescued Kare Chinnaiah, the owner of the fishing boat. He was brought safely to the coast on Sunday.

The ship crew reportedly found five fishermen, but only Chinnaiah could board the ship. Based on their information, the Coast Guard and Marine Police intensified their efforts to rescue the stranded fishermen.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has ordered intensified search operations to rescue missing fishermen.

The Chief Minister spoke with senior officials over the phone from Kuppam in Chittoor district. Officials informed the Chief Minister that a Coast Guard vessel is searching for the missing boat in the Bay of Bengal.

They reported that the boat had set out from the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour with seven fishermen at 4 p.m. on June 1. Although the boat was scheduled to return by the afternoon of June 4, it has not yet returned due to technical issues.

Officials stated that a technical problem had occurred with the boat near the Gangavaram coast. They also mentioned that search operations using Navy helicopters began on Sunday morning.

Currently, the Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Police are searching.

The Chief Minister directed the Marine IG and the Visakhapatnam Commissioner of Police to coordinate the search efforts and instructed them to keep him updated on the progress.

The Chief Minister directed Minister Atchannaidu and local public representatives from Visakhapatnam to offer assistance to the families of the fishermen.

–IANS

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