An Indian fisherman was killed and another went missing following a collision on Thursday morning between a Sri Lankan naval vessel and an Indian fishing boat allegedly poaching in the island nation's territorial waters, the Navy said in Colombo.
The incident happened off the coast to the West of the Delft islet in Jaffna, Navy spokesman Captain Gayan Wickremasuriya said.
"The Navy was trying to arrest or to make them flee. But they moved aggressively, causing a collision with the Naval craft," he said.
He claimed that the Indian trawler, carrying four fishermen, capsized due to aggressive manoeuvres and rough sea conditions.
The Indian trawler was toppled and sunk when the four fishermen jumped to the sea to avoid being arrested, Wickremasuriya said.
One fisherman is missing and the Navy is conducting a search operation to locate him.
One of the rescued fishermen was admitted to the Punkuduthivu Hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The other two remain in Naval custody.
The magisterial inquiry on the dead would be held in Jaffna on Friday, the Naval spokesman said.
In New Delhi, the Sri Lankan acting high commissioner was called to the ministry of external affairs and a strong protest was registered over the incident. -- PTI
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