The Indian Coast Guard rescued nine Tamil Nadu fishermen who were struggling in the sea off nearby Pamban after their boat hit a rock and sank on Sunday, a senior official said.
The fishermen from Tharuvaikulam in Tuticorin district attempted to cross the century-old cantilever Pamban railway bridge when their vessel veered off the path and hit a rock, Mandapam Coast Guard station Commander M Venkatesh said.
The boat, on its way to Nagapattinam, suffered damage, capsized and later sank. Some fishermen passing by the spot alerted the Marine police on seeing the nine struggling in the waters. A team of Coast Guard personnel from Mandapam base and local Marine police coordinated the rescue operation and brought the fishermen to shore in a hovercraft, he added.