TIRUPATI: A group of students from Irukkam Island in Tada mandal of Tirupati district had a harrowing experience on Thursday night when the boat they use to commute daily got caught in a fishing net in the middle of Pulicat Lake. The students had been returning home from the Tamil School in Sunnambukulam of Tamil Nadu.
The morning journey of the around 60 students by boat from Irukkam Island to Sunnambukulam had been uneventful. The return journey took an unexpected turn when the boat got ensnared in a fishing net, leaving them stranded in the middle of the lake.
The boat lacked communication devices like radios or cell phone signals, making it impossible for the boatman to alert anyone on the island about their predicament.
However, when the boat failed to arrive at the expected time, parents of the students got concerned. By 6 p.m. they went into a panic mode. Worried parents and villagers set out on their own boats to search for their missing children. The darkness posed an additional challenge.
The stranded boatman, however, managed to create a visible signal, which caught the attention of parents scouring the waters for a sign. Spotting the flickering lights, parents reached the distressed boat. The occupants of the stranded boat were transferred to another boat and taken to the Irukkam Island.
