VASCO:
In a tragic incident, a man jumped into the sea from the tail end of the
Kharewado fishing jetty on Thursday evening. According to eyewitnesses, the
incident occurred at around 6:30 pm.
“There
were many people on the jetty, some angling. We saw a man walking towards the
tail point of the jetty, near Mormugao Port berth no 11. As he reached the
extreme point, he suddenly jumped into the water. We immediately began shouting
and calling him, but he refused to respond and just jumped,” said an
eyewitness.
Witnesses
reported that a worker from a nearby parked fishing boat threw a rope to the
man, but he refused help and folded his hands. “While he was struggling in
the water, we called him, but he refused to move towards safety and drowned in
the sea,” added the eyewitness.
The
locals quickly alerted the Fire Brigade, Port authorities, and the Coastal
Police about the incident.
“In
barely a few minutes, he drowned and his body began floating. The port CISF
launch reached the site but refused to touch the floating body. We requested
the CISF launch to offer assistance in preventing the body from drifting
further, but they refused to cooperate. The body drifted into the deep sea
right in front of them,” another local witness explained.
Further
complicating the rescue efforts, the Coastal police launch was on patrol duty
at Cortalim. By the time it arrived, it was already dark, and the body had
drifted further into the sea.
“What’s
the point of the CISF launch burning government fuel if they don’t intend to
help during an emergency? This launch only harasses local fishermen, and
authorities must initiate action against the CISF launch and its crew,”
lamented an eyewitness.
Later
in the evening, the Coastal police patrolling launch, along with fire brigade
officials, ventured into the sea to retrieve the body. As of late evening, the
body had been retrieved, but the identity of the person who ended his life by
jumping into the sea remained unclear.
