Iranian authorities detain 29 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, Kerala

KANYAKUMARI: Twenty-nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Kerala were on Saturday detained by Iranian authorities for allegedly violating maritime boundary while fishing near Qatar.

"Due to the rough weather, they crossed the Qatar border and entered into Iran. The 29 fishermen were detained in IKKISH island of Iran," P Justin Antony, founder-president, Tamil Nadu Fishermen Development Trust, said in a statement here.

Listing out the names of those detained by the Iranian authorities, he said, Indian Embassy officials had met the detained fishermen in jail. He appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee to take necessary steps for the release of the fishermen.