The Coast Guard on Monday deployed ICGS Atulya to search for two fishermen, who have been reported missing off Kakinada even as Cyclone Vardah batters the coastal regions in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The maritime security agency, which has put its resources on standby to deal with an exigency, got a message this morning from the Fisheries Department of Andhra Pradesh that two fishermen have gone missing. ICGS Atulya has been deployed to find the two missing fishermen. We have also deployed two more ships in the sea during the night time, in case we receive any distress call.Dornier aircraft and Chetak helicopters have been kept on standby at Chennai and Vizag for deployment, said a Coast Guard official. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had warned fishermen not to venture along the coast off Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu owing to rough sea conditions in the wake of Cyclone Vardah.
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