Debris from sunken cargo ship affects 22 Kanyakumari villages

Chennai: Debris from the sunken Liberian-flagged cargo vessel MSC ELSA-3, which sank off the Kerala coast on May 24, has reportedly affected at least 22 coastal villages in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu.

Over the past three days, plastic pellets, wooden logs, and even a container have washed ashore in the villages of Killiyoor and Kalkulam taluks.

The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide, along with 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil.

While Kerala's coastline initially bore the brunt of the vessel's sinking, debris is now appearing further southeast along Tamil Nadu’s shores.

Kanyakumari district has 42 coastal villages, including 16 in Killiyoor taluk, 13 in Kalkulam taluk, and 13 in Agasteeswaram taluk.

Of these, 12 villages in Killiyoor and 10 in Kalkulam have reported debris washing ashore.

Some of the worst-affected locations include Neerodi, Eraviputhenthurai, Enayam, Chinnathurai, Thoothoor, Periyavilai, Chinnavilai, Kadiyapattinam, Kurumbanai, Kodimunai, Simon Colony, and Mandaikaaduputhoor, where large quantities of plastic pellets and loose nurdles have been found.

Wooden logs have been recovered from the shore at Vallavilai, while a cargo container washed up at Vaniyakudi.

In Midalam, residents discovered bags of cashew nuts and iron rods. Upon receiving information about the container at Vaniyakudi, authorities quickly responded.

A three-member expert team from a Gujarat-based shipping firm, accompanied by a coastal police commandant and eight personnel, arrived at the site on Friday to assist with salvage operations.

Meanwhile, local conservancy workers, supported by NGO volunteers, have been working tirelessly to clear debris from the beaches.

To streamline response efforts, the Kanyakumari district administration has established a 24x7 control room for the public to report debris sightings.

(inputs from IANS)