Fishing boat sinks following alleged hit-and-run off southern India

A fishing boat sank following an alleged hit-and-run incident involving a commercial vessel off the coast of southern India on Wednesday, December 11, The New Indian Express reports.

The alleged incident occurred at around 04:30 local time on Wednesday when the trawler Paraloga Matha was reportedly struck by a passing tanker some 24 nautical miles off the town of Colachel in Tamil Nadu.

The crew said the collision had left a hole near the trawler's stern, resulting in water ingress. Attempts were made to contain the flooding, to no avail.

The boat capsized and sank three hours later with all nine crewmembers still on board, though they were later rescued by responding Good Samaritan vessels. The survivors have since been brought to hospital in Colachel.

Paraloga Matha's owner claims the tanker did not even stop to render assistance and instead continued on its passage following the collision.

The trawler's crew said that they were struck by the Comoros-flagged LPG tanker Nus, which was en route from China to Oman when the incident occurred. However, local police officials could find no evidence that a collision had indeed taken place.