Divers yet to locate missing SLN sailors

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 13:03 GMT]
700 meters depth of the sea near the place of explosion and absence of debris from the dissappeared Dvora have hampered Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) divers from locating the remains of missing thirteen SLN soldiers from the missing Dvora, sources close to the recovery operations in Trincomalee said. Vice Admiral Vasantha Karanagoda, SLN Commander was in Trincomalee soon after the explosion to organize the recovery, SLN sources said.

The SLN launched strict surveillance on the movement of fishing crafts from Koneswaram Sea up to Naval Dockyard Headquarters, security sources said.

The SLN immediately after the Dvora explosion placed the Trincomalee harbor area under blanket security. All fishing boats anchored in the harbor were searched. Navy authorities earlier allowed fishermen during the daytime in selected areas in the Trincomalee harbor on humanitarian grounds. But afterthe disappearance of the Dvora the SLN authorities said the same consideration could not be accommodated due to imminent dangers in providing security to naval installation, navy sources said.

The ban imposed on fishing in and around Trincomalee harbor by the Sri Lanka Navy came into operation from Sunday night until further notice. The SLN has imposed this fishing ban following Saturday's attack on one of its gunboat Dvora in which left 13 sailors including two officers dead, according to navy sources.

SLN has already imposed ban on fishing Jaffna lagoon, Vadamaradchchi North Sea and Valigamam East Sea and now it has been extended it to the east, sources said.