Kollam man confirmed dead in Mozambique tragedy

KOLLAM: The Kollam native who went missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Mozambique has been confirmed dead, Kollam MP N K Premachandran said. The deceased is Srirag Radhakrishnan, 36, of Thevalakkara. His family has been informed, and efforts are under way to bring his body back home. The Government of Mozambique has informed us that Srirags body has been identified. The process to repatriate the body to Kerala has begun, the MP said. Srirag, an electrical engineer, was working as the electro-technical officer on the oil tanker MT Sea Quest. He had been with the same vessel for seven years and had been working in Mozambique for the past three years. He returned to the country on Monday and spoke to his family on Tuesday. The accident occurred early the next morning. The tragedy took place around 3 am on Thursday when a boat carrying crew members to MT Sea Quest that was anchored near a port in Mozambique capsized. There were 21 people onboard, including the crew and those scheduled to join the ship. Thirteen were rescued, while others went missing. The Indian High Commission in Mozambique has confirmed that three Indians have died, while six, including Indrajith, 22, from Piravom, remain missing. Indrajith, the son of Santosh and Sheena of Pothamkudil, Veliyanad, was among those on the boat. His friend Akash, a native of Konni, was rescued. Reports said the boat overturned when strong waves struck as it neared the ship. Akash survived after being thrown overboard, but others were trapped inside the cabin. The Indian embassy and the shipping company are coordinating with the families of the affected crew members.