Tirupati: A carbon dioxide cylinder with some information written on it in Chinese language, was washed ashore at the beach near Gundamala village of Kothapatnam mandal in Prakasam district on Sunday morning, resulting in various theories on what it could be.
Since December 2019, fishermen in Prakasam district, which has a 104-km long coastline, have been finding strange objects in the sea floating towards their villages.
They are worried about the objects as they suspect them to be bombs or other explosive materials fired at Indian villages by the country’s rivals.
Similarly, the carbon dioxide cylinder has created a flutter among the fishermen community at Gundamala village and and nearby villages.
The locals who came across this object alerted the police, who immediately rushed to the spot and launched an investigation.
Kothapatnam sub-inspector M. Srinivas told Deccan Chronicle that there was nothing to worry about as the object that was washed ashore was an eight-kg carbon dioxide cylinder, which is used as a fire protection device to extinguish or control small fires on ships.
“We thoroughly examined the object. Experts have confirmed that it is a fire extinguisher used on ships and other places to control small fires. There is nothing to worry about this incident and we have beefed up the security along the sea shore,” he said.
