Amid reports of the weakening of Cyclone Phyan, the families of the fishermen prayed for the safety of their men stranded on the high seas. Many trawlers are still at sea. An alert had been sent earlier about the impending cyclone and the fishermen advised to return to the nearest coast.

Bhavnagar, which was earlier on the trajectory of the cyclone, was put on high alert along with Porbandar and Veraval. Of the 1,200 registered boats in Porbandar, only 20 per cent have made it back. The situation at other major fishing ports was no different, with only 500 trawlers reporting back, with the rest still on the high seas.

Manish Lodhari, Secretary of the National Fishing Forum said: “The families are worried. Only 200 boats are back. At least 1,000 registered boats are at sea.” He added that most of the boats at sea have been alerted.

“Message about the impending cyclone was sent through wireless and cellphones. So far, there has been no distress call. The administration, Coast Guard and the boat association have geared up to send rescue teams,” Lodhari added.

Kishan Varidum, president of the Veraval Boat Association said: “The wait for over 1,500 boats from Veraval continues. In the last 24 hours, some 500 boats have returned.” He added: “Each boat has a crew of around 6-7 people. So, over 15,000 fishermen are still at sea.”