Two Months Adrift: Navy Brings Fishermen Home

COLOMBO (News 1st); Four Sri Lankan fishermen who survived a harrowing two-month ordeal at sea were brought safely to Hambantota Port today (31) aboard the Navy vessel “Sindurala.”

The fishermen were part of the multi-day fishing vessel “Keshan Putha 1,” which departed Dondra Head Fisheries Harbour on August 31 with six crew members. 

According to the Department of Fisheries, the vessel capsized in international waters near the Maldives, and the crew drifted as far as Indonesian maritime boundaries before being rescued.

Navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath confirmed that one fisherman remains missing, while another tragically drowned during the incident.

Survivors reported that the deceased fisherman’s body was committed to the sea after the accident.

The vessel encountered disaster approximately 350 nautical miles southeast of Sri Lanka. 

The four rescued fishermen—Poshitha Nimantha, Shanaka Amila, Oshan Madhusanka, and Dhammika Lakmal—were handed over to the Navy yesterday and transported to Hambantota today. 

They have since been admitted to Hambantota General Hospital for medical evaluation.