Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: A fishing boat, carrying the day’s catch, capsized at the mouth of the Talpona river off Rajbag shore late Wednesday evening while attempting to enter the Talpona Jetty.
The boat, owned by Pritesh Jaywant Kankonkar, reportedly got stuck in sand dunes while navigating the narrow river mouth. Six fishermen on board quickly jumped into the water and swam to safety, raising an alarm that drew locals and coastguard personnel to the scene.
Locals and coastal police personnel initially tried to pull the boat ashore but were unsuccessful due to the heavy sand accumulation. A JCB was eventually brought in to tow the boat to safety.
Residents pointed out that sand accumulation at the Talpona river mouth, the main navigational path for fishing vessels, frequently hampers entry to the jetty. They have repeatedly urged successive governments to dredge the river mouth to prevent accidents. Locals noted that at least two incidents of fishing boats capsizing or getting stuck in sand occur here every year.
Caption: Locals make futile attempts to pull the capsized fishing boat to shore; it was later pulled with the help of a JCB.
