Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Jan 16: In a major development the engine dinghy, in which three people had gone for fishing from Wandoor region nearly 25 days back, has been found on the shores of North Sentinel Island. There is no trace of three people yet, who had gone fishing in that dinghy.
The Pradhan of Wandoor Panchayat, Mr. Adhir Das told Andaman Sheekha Daily that two residents of Wandoor Mr. Shyam Chand Mondal and Mr. Kanuwa had gone for fishing in another Island with one Mr. Sujay Bepari, a resident of Billiground, who was on a visit to Wandoor, his in-law’s house. All three people had left Wandoor nearly 25 days ago and within 10 to 15 days they were supposed to return but when they did not return back to Wandoor after two weeks, their family members started to worry.
The Pradhan said that on his request authorities started a search operation and even Coast Guard used helicopters to spot the dinghy but they found no trace.
“Few days back some fishermen crossing North Sentinel Island told me that they had seen a dinghy-like structure on the rocky shores of the Island but they were not sure as they were far away from the Island. On getting this information I have reported this matter to police and Coast Guard and today the Indian Coast Guard has confirmed that ICG helicopters have spotted the missing dinghy at North Sentinel Island,” the Pradhan added.
Sharing a photograph of the dinghy with Andaman Sheekha Daily, which he has obtained from Indian Coast Guard, the Pradhan said that he is worried about the fate of the three people present on the said dinghy.
“There is no chance they could go there. I believe due to engine failure the dinghy might have drifted towards North Sentinel Island. There is a need to check whether any clue is found regarding the presence of the missing persons in the Island,” he said.
As it is not confirmed whether the missing people were present on the dinghy when it reached the coast of the North Sentinel Island, there is a need to continue the search operation for the missing persons in nearby islands too, others believe.
As everyone knows, the North Sentinelese Tribes are very hostile to any visitors to the Island and hence this is a serious matter and more search should be conducted around the Island. The Pradhan of Wandoor Village however expressed his disappointment over failure of spotting the missing dinghy by Coast Guard even when three days back all information was given to them. “Only when we pointed out the presence of a dinghy-like structure on the shores of North Sentinel Island, they could locate the boat. The Police Department has, however, given us all assistance,” he added.
