Six missing fishermen bodies identified through DNA test

When Cyclone Ockhi struck Kanniyakumari district, several hundreds of fishermen, who had ventured into the sea much before the storm, went missing. After the cyclone moved away, bodies of many fishermen were found in the sea and those retrieved were kept at various government hospitals in Kerala.

As the fishermen bodies were highly decomposed, they could not be identified. So, DNA samples were collected from the missing fishermen’s kin in Kanniyakumari. The process of matching the DNAs was carried out to identify the deceased fishermen.

On Wednesday, based on the DNA tests bodies of three fishermen were identified as Albin of Puthukkadai, Wilfred of Eraiviputhenthurai, Alvary of Thoothoor, Darwin of Chinnathurai, Sarjin of Palthasanpoothurai, all five from Kanniyakumari district, and Kingston of Thoothukudi. .

Albin’s body was kept at the Aluva Primary Health Centre in Cochin, Wilfred’s body at Tiruvananthapuram GH, Kingston’s body at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, Alwary at Veppur GH, Darwin and Sarjin’s bodies at Cochin GH.

Justin Antony, founding president, International Fishermen Development Trust (INFIDET), said that Wilfred’s body was at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital and after the information was passed on to his kin they had brought it to Eraiviputhenthurai, where the last rites were performed. He also said that the families and friends of the identified fishermen were in grief, but at the same time relieved that they have at least got their bodies now.