Nine fishermen injured in mid-sea cylinder blast

VISAKHAPATNAM: At least nine fishermen were injured in a mid-sea incident due to a cooking gas cylinder blast while they were preparing lunch on their fishing boat. According to sources, five fishermen received serious burn injuries and fractures, while the other four sustained minor injuries, as per the preliminary information. All the injured fishermen are said to belong to Kakinada and surrounding areas.According to sources, the incident occurred at around 2:30 pm on the fishing boat named Durga Bhavani, approximately 70 nautical miles away from the Visakhapatnam coast and between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal.The AP Mechanised Boat Owners’ Association President, Vasupalli Janakiram, told TOI that no casualties were reported, but the fishermen received serious injuries. All nine fishermen are from the Kakinada region.An Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Veera was pressed into action to rescue the fishermen following a distress call received from those stranded at sea. The ICGS crew extended help by performing first aid and is now bringing the injured fishermen to Vizag for treatment at King George Hospital (KGH).