Colombo, January 21: The Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday recovered the bodies of Tamil Nadu fishermen who were missing since Monday near Palk Strait. As per reports, a boat with four fishermen went missing when around 200 boats carrying 1,000 fishermen were sailing from Kottaipattinam for fishing. Others in the convoy had claimed that the Lankan Navy had killed the four fishermen by sinking their boat. Sri Lanka Navy Attacks Indian Fishermen Over Alleged Trespassing, One Injured: Reports.

They alleged that the Lankan Navy harassed them near Neduntheevu when the fishermen were trying to return. This is when one patrol vessel rammed into a boat, and the boat carrying A Mesia, V Nagaraj, N Sam and S Senthil Kumar sank, as per reports. A team was deployed to search the four missing fishermen, but it could not get any success.Lankan Fishing Boat with Six Crew Held in Indian Waters: Coast Guard.

The Lankan Navy has however maintained that the boat sank while the fishermen were resisting arrest, as reported by India Today. It released pictures of deceased N Sam and S Senthil Kumar stating that a team was searching for the other two fishermen.

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami has announced a compensation of Rs 10 Lakh each for the families of the fishermen. Palaniswami also condemned the Sri Lankan Navy, accusing it of destroying the livelihood of fishermen from Tamil Nadu.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2021 07:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).