Three fishermen killed was battery goes off

By Sudhir Ranjan DashParadip, Oct. 6: Three fishermen were killed and seven others injured when their trawler named Jaya Durga caught fire in the Bay of Bengal near Astarang in Puri district late on Saturday night.The accident, according to the survivors, took place at around 2 am due to battery explosion.“After midnight, our pilot noticed blazing fire in the rear part of the trawler. He woke me up and we tried to douse the fire. Seven of our colleagues sustained burn injuries. Three persons who were received critical burns succumbed to their injuries on board the vessel,” said Babu Ray, the co-pilot.Sources said after the vessel caught fire, the pilot alerted the trawler owner over phone. The owner then informed the India Coast Guard about the mishap.“We traced vessel after two hours of voyage and rescued the injured fishermen. There was not delay whatsoever in the operation. Night factor accounted for a little delay in locating the ill-fated trawler,” said S.K. Nath, a senior Indian Coast Guard officer.Of the seven injured, the condition of three persons are stated to be serious. They have been sent to SCB Medical College.