Sri Lanka — Twelve Myanmar fishermen who got into difficulty when their vessel began to drift after its engine developed a technical defect were saved by Sri Lankan fishermen and handed over to the Navy.

The fishermen were found in deep sea some 150 nautical miles from the Eastern shores and transferred into two naval craft and brought ashore, Navy spokesman Athula Senerath said.

They were provided emergency medical assistance at the Naval Hospital in Trincomalee.

A senior police officer said the fishermen were not in possession of their identity cards or other documents and this made it difficult to establish their identity.

But they were later found to be Myanmar fishermen after their fishing craft and the articles they carried in their bags were scrutinized.

They are to be sent for a medical check-up and will be produced in Court before being handed over to the Myanmar Embassy. Published by HT Syndication with permission from Daily Mirror Sri Lanka. For more information on news feed please contact Sarabjit Jagirdar at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com