In Kerala, two fishermen were killed and three others missing when their fishing vessel Don-I was hit by an unidentified merchant ship, about 20 nautical miles off Manakkodam Light House in Alappuzha district early this morning.Two others were rescued by fishermen and have been admitted to the Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. There were seven fishermen on board the fishing vessel, when the mishap took place.A massive search and rescue effort has been launched by the Navy and Coast Guard. INS Sarvekshak from the Southern Naval Command at Kochi, the Coast Guard vessel Savithribhai Phule and a Dronier aircraft have been sent to the area.Two Coast Guard Interceptor boats, one from Kochi and the other from Vizhinjam, have also joined to the search and rescue operations.Meanwhile, Union Minister of Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Prof K V Thomas has appealed to the Prime Minister and Defence Minister to institute an inquiry into the incident in which a fishing boat was hit by an unidentified merchant vessel off Alappuzha coast. Two persons were killed and three others were reported missing when the vessel hit the boat during the early hours of this morning. Prof Thomas also called for intensifying efforts to trace the missing fishermen and financial to the kin of those killed as well as those injured.