Five hundred “deep sea” fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were fishing off the Maharashtra coast have vanished after venturing out to sea and are believed to have fallen victim to cyclone Phyan.

Fishermen’s associations from Tamil Nadu have contacted their counterparts in Maharashtra for help. “We have asked the Navy and Coast Guard to inform us if they get any news,” said Rambhau Patil, member of the National Fishermen’s Forum.

Tamil Nadu-based Thomas Kocherry, member of the National Fishermen’s Forum and World Forum of Fishermen, about 100 boats had left Thoothur and neighbouring villages in Kanyakumari and have not yet returned home. Most of these are “deep sea” fishermen and are believed to have ventured deep into the sea. Five boats had capsized and three fishermen from Thoothur were reported dead, he said.

Thoothur is a fishing hamlet in Kanyakumari district. “Fishermen of these villages are known for their fishing skills in deep sea and specialise in shark and tuna fishing,” said Kocherry. They usually operate in the exclusive economic zone of the country, which starts 12 nautical miles off the coast.

Meanwhile, of the 20 fishermen whose bodies were found off Ratnagiri coast, five are believed to have been from Karnataka, Patil added.