THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Wreckage debris of a container reportedly carried by the MSC Elsa-3 ship have been found on the seabed near Kovalam beach. This marks the first discovery of debris from the MSC Elsa-3 on the seabed since the ship sank off the Kochi coast on May 25.

The debris, partially buried in sand and trapped between underwater rocks extending from Kovalam’s Mukkom Hills, was first spotted by clam gatherers at Ashoka Beach. Thiruvananthapuram-based civil society organisation Friends of Marine Life, and SCUBA COCHIN, who identified the container marked “TGHU 99 1951 [5]” during a two-day underwater search. The recovered piece measures 3 metres long, 2.45 metres wide, and 2 metres high.

FML speculates that an extensive search through the underwater rocks along the Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari districts could give more hints regarding the sunken ship.

FML Chief Coordinator Robert Panipilla urged that the authorities should cross check the cargo manifesto of MSC Elsa-3 if the container belonged to their cargo and inform it.