Panaji (PTI): The bodies of two crew members who went missing after a fishing vessel collided with a submarine have been recovered from the Arabian Sea off the Goa coast, a senior naval official said on Friday.

The fishing vessel, Marthoma, sank after colliding with the submarine of the Indian Navy at about 70 nautical miles off the shore last week, triggering a massive operation to trace the two crew members.

In a joint operation involving the Navy, Indian Coast Guard and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on Thursday, the mortal remains of the missing crew members were recovered from the seabed near the shipwreck, an Indian Navy spokesperson said.

“The boat had sunk after colliding with an Indian Navy submarine on November 21. Eleven of the 13 crew were rescued on the same day by Indian Navy ships, while two persons had remained missing,” he said.

The official said that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard jointly undertook a week-long search, which helped localise the fishing boat’s wreckage.

“The mortal remains of the two crew (members) were recovered from the vicinity of the wreckage with the assistance of ONGC and are now being handed over to the authorities,” he added.

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Chennai: Actor-politician Vijay has reportedly not been invited to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after failing to demonstrate support from the required number of MLAs, sources in Raj Bhavan said.

According to media reports that quoted sources in the office of R.N. Ravi Arlekar, Vijay could not prove the backing of 118 legislators, the majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Despite last-minute efforts to secure support from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazagam (AMMK), and an IUML legislator, Vijay reportedly managed support from only 116 MLAs, falling short by two members.

Sources said Vijay failed to submit letters of support from the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

Later, the IUML issued a statement clarifying that it was not part of the TVK-led alliance.

Meanwhile, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran is also said to have informed the Governor that his party would support the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) instead.

Earlier in the evening, Vijay had met Governor Arlekar and staked claim to form the government, stating that he enjoyed the support of 118 MLAs.