Visakhapatnam, July 7 (IANS) The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard continued their search and rescue operation for six fishermen who went missing off the coast of Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam for the third day on Tuesday.

Two ships and two helicopters of the Coast Guard continued the search on the basis of information given by a fisherman, who was rescued by a cargo ship on Sunday.

The Navy and Coast Guard personnel were focusing their search around Gangavaram, where the fishing boat went missing.

Strong winds and rough sea were posing a challenge to the personnel engaged in the operation.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been continuously monitoring the search and rescue operation. He directed the officials to widen their search and extend the radius.

Inspector General of Police Gopinath Jatti was supervising the search and rescue operations from the regional operations centre of the Coast Guard.

He briefed the Chief Minister that despite inclement weather, the search operation was continuing for the missing fishermen.

Home Minister V. Anitha and Irrigation Minister K. Atchanaidu were coordinating the efforts at the field level.

A group of seven fishermen belonging to Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts had left in a boat 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 had 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.

Kari Chinna, who owns the missing fishing boat, was rescued by a Panama-flagged merchant vessel, MV Universe Wealthy, on Sunday.

The Indian Navy airlifted him from the vessel to INS Dega on Monday evening. He was later shifted to KIMS ICON Hospital. According to doctors, he is in stable condition.

Chinna is likely to be discharged from the hospital in a couple of days.

Doctors quoted him as saying the boat capsized on Saturday at 3.30 p.m. He kept swimming to save himself and remained in the sea for about 18 hours before he was rescued by the crew of the merchant vessel around 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Meanwhile, on a complaint by families of the missing fishermen, coastal police registered a case and took up the investigation.

–IANS

ms/vd