Chhatrapur: With the threat of cyclonic storm Asani lurking near Odisha coast, over 60 fishermen had a close shave as they swam to the shore after their boats capsized in the turbulent sea at Aryapalli near here Tuesday.
The fishermen had gone to the sea for fishing despite repeated warning over rough sea conditions over the cyclonic storm Asani. The district administration had asked the fishermen in the sea to return back before May 8.
Reports said the fishermen were returning to the coast near Aryapalli in six fishing vessels after catching fish when one of their boats overturned about 200 metre from the fishing jetty while the rest five were damaged after being pounded by high tidal waves.
Among them, about 20 fishermen struggled hard and swam to the shore near Gopalpur Port jetty while some of them were rescued by the locals. The rest managed to cling to their damaged boats and swam to safety. The incident has gone viral on social media.
