Kollam (Kerala) | The Coastal Police on Friday intensified the search for a youth who went missing after a fishing boat capsized near Puthenthura here on July 31, officials said.

Officials at the Neendakara Coastal Police Station said additional boats and personnel have been deployed to search for Gautam Krishna (26) of Puthenthura here.

Gautam's mother met senior Fisheries Department officials and police officers at the Kollam Coastal Police Station on Thursday.

After the meeting, she told reporters that Fisheries Department officials had informed her that certain search methods had not been adopted earlier as they had not been requested by the family, but those measures would now be implemented.

Later, Union Minister Suresh Gopi and Fisheries Minister intervened, following which the Coastal Police and the Fisheries Department decided to deploy more boats and personnel to expand the search over a wider area, officials said.

Gautam's father, Radhakrishnan (48), and grandfather, Rajeevan (74), who were also on the fishing boat, died in the mishap.

They were among a 14-member group that had gone fishing from Puthenthura on July 31.

While returning, their boat was caught in high waves near the estuary and capsized.

Meanwhile, the Vizhinjam Coastal Police are continuing the search for John (54) of Pulluvila, who went missing in a separate boat mishap off the Thiruvananthapuram coast on July 31.

John's family recently staged a protest outside the Vizhinjam Coastal Police Station, alleging that the search operation was not being carried out effectively.

The family has also demanded that experienced fishermen, who have better knowledge of the sea, be involved in the search operations following such boat mishaps.