Thiruvananthapuram | Three fishermen who had gone missing after venturing into the sea for fishing from the Vizhinjam coast here have been traced and rescued, officials said on Tuesday.

The fishermen -- Sanu (37) and Robinson (55), both natives of Vettukad, and Babu (40) of Valiyaveli -- had set out for fishing at around 3 pm on June 28.

They were expected to return early on June 29 but failed to do so, prompting a search operation, the state Fisheries Department said in a statement.

Based on information received from the Coastal Police, the Marine Enforcement wing launched a search.

Coast Guard personnel and relatives of the missing fishermen also joined the operation, which continued late into the night, they said.

As sea currents were moving southwards, authorities alerted agencies in the Tamil Nadu coastal regions of Colachel, Kanyakumari and Thengapattanam, where parallel search efforts were carried out.

A fresh large-scale search involving the Marine Enforcement wing, the Coast Guard and local fishermen resumed early Tuesday, following which the three fishermen were located and rescued safely, officials said.

The fishermen are expected to reach the Vizhinjam coast at around 1.30 pm, they added.