Nine Tamil Nadu fishermen who set sail on July 23 and failed to return by August 7 have been safely rescued by the Myanmar Navy on September 14. Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar confirmed their safety. Steps initiated by TN government through External Affairs Ministry to bring them home.
Nine Tamil Nadu fishermen who had been missing for nearly two months have been safely rescued by the Myanmar Navy, Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar announced on Monday, September 14.
The nine fishermen set sail from Chennai on a deep-sea fishing vessel on July 23, 2026 and were expected to return by August 7. When they failed to return, a multi-agency search and rescue operation was launched involving the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard and the Tamil Nadu government. Through the External Affairs Ministry, the state government requested assistance from Myanmar, Thailand and Bangladesh in locating the vessel.
On Monday morning, September 14, the Myanmar Navy located the fishermen in its waters and safely rescued them, bringing them ashore. The Indian mission in Myanmar confirmed the fishermen were safe and were being provided with food and other facilities. Steps have been initiated to bring all nine fishermen back to Tamil Nadu.
Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar confirmed the rescue in a press release, saying: "The fishermen were located by the Myanmar Navy and have been safely rescued and brought ashore. Due steps have been initiated by the Tamil Nadu government to bring back the fishermen home soon."
The rescue comes in a year in which the TVK government has had to manage multiple fishermen-related crises: the ongoing Sri Lanka Navy arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait (raised by Vijay in his first Modi meeting on May 27), and the Nepal floods involving Tamil pilgrims (August 27, Bhote Koshi river). The Myanmar rescue adds to the diplomatic coordination record of the Vijay government's first year.
Fishermen Myanmar Navy September 14, 2026