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Thiruvananthapuram, October 18 (IANS) Two people from Kerala are among those missing after a boat carrying crew members capsized off the coast of Mozambique.
Search operations have been intensified to trace five Indian nationals, including two Malayalis.
The missing youths have been identified as Indrajith (22) of Piravom in Ernakulam and Srirag (36) of Chavara in Kollam.
Both were employees of Scorpio Marine.
Srirag’s family members were informed by the company and the Indian Embassy earlier today that he is believed to have died in the accident.
Indrajeet, whose father Santosh also works on the same ship, is missing.
Speaking to the media, Lok Sabha member Francis George said that the company is keeping Indrajit’s family members updated about the progress of what is happening at the accident site.
The accident occurred near Beira port on Thursday when a launch boat was carrying Indian crew members to the ship MT Sea Quest for maintenance work.
The boat capsized amid rough seas, trapping 21 people.
Fourteen were rescued, while three people have been confirmed dead so far.
The rescue operation, which was started immediately after the incident, had to be temporarily halted yesterday due to adverse weather.
They resumed this morning with the cooperation of local authorities and the Indian High Commission in Maputo.
Indrajeet had left home only last Tuesday to go to work on the ship.
The news of the accident reached his family late Friday evening.
Srirag had been working with the company for many years.
The Indian High Commission said it is working closely with the Government of Mozambique to coordinate search and rescue efforts.
Helpline numbers have been issued for families seeking updates.
The launch boat was reportedly headed towards MT Sea Quest when it sank in the rough waters. Officials said efforts were being made to recover bodies of those feared dead and to trace the remaining missing.
–IANS
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