Mangaluru : Three fishermen are feared dead and nine others are missing after their fishing boat collided with a foreign vessel off the coast of Mangaluru early on Tuesday.

The boat, IFB Rabah, with 14 fishermen on board, had set off from Beypore in Kozhikode district of Kerala Sunday evening.

The boats owner Jaffer said in Kozhikode that he had received information that three of them died in the mishap.

Seven of the fishermen are from Tamil Nadu and the remaining from West Bengal and Odisha.

Two fishermen have been saved from the sea, the Indian Coast Guard said.

In a swift sea-air SAR operation India Coast Guard deployed 03 ICG ships & aircraft to search for 14 fishermen of IFB Rabah approx 43 NM west New Mangalore today. 2 crew found, search for other crew in progress. Coast Guard official said.