Play store
The bodies of five fishermen who went missing after a fishing trawler sank in the Bay of Bengal off Barguna’s Patharghata have been recovered, around 22 hours after the accident.
The bodies were recovered from the deep sea on Tuesday, the owner and skipper of the trawler, Badal Molla, said.
The trawler FB Barkat was carrying 13 fishermen when it sank around noon on Monday amid rough weather and heavy waves. Eight fishermen were rescued alive shortly after the accident, while five remained missing.
The bodies of the five missing fishermen—Nur Alam, 37; Kawsar, 30; Saikul, 33; Ibrahim, 28; and Bellal, 22—were later recovered from the sea. They were residents of different areas of Patharghata Sadar Union.
Badal Molla said another fishing trawler was bringing the bodies back to shore and was expected to reach Patharghata in about three hours.
Yunus Molla, a cook on the trawler who survived the accident, said the sea was extremely rough at the time. Several fishermen had gone inside the trawler’s cabin to rest while preparing to cast their nets.
“Suddenly, a powerful storm and huge waves hit the trawler, causing it to capsize,” he said.
The eight survivors reportedly remained adrift in the sea for nearly two hours before being rescued by another fishing trawler.
Following the accident, the district fishermen’s trawler owners’ association sent a vessel to search for the missing fishermen. After an extensive search, rescuers located the bodies of all five missing fishermen.
Patharghata Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Alim said he had been informed that the bodies had been recovered but had not yet seen them.
“I am currently in the Badurtala area after receiving the news. Necessary legal action will be taken once the bodies arrive,” he said.