Staff Reporter :
At least 11 fishing trawlers with more than 150 fishermen drowned in the Bay of Bengal near Kuakata of Patuakhali.
Among them, 34 fishermen are still missing. The rest were rescued.
The incidents of trawlers capsize took place from noon to midnight on Friday (August 19), according to the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The houses of the missing fishermen are in Char Fashan and Alipur fishing port area of Kalapara upazila.
Besides, more than 1000 trawlers took shelter in Shibbaria River.
Alipur-Kuakata Fisheries Owners Association President Ansar Uddin Molla and Mohipur Owners Association President Raju Ahmed Raja confirmed the information to the media.
According to fishermen, their trawlers capsized due to the tidal wave and storms. At that time, 116 fishermen were rescued by another trawler, but 34 people are still missing.
The rescued fishermen are undergoing treatment in various hospitals including Kuakata 20-bed hospital and Mohipur sub-health center, they added.
UNB adds: Four fishing trawlers from Bhola’s Lalmohan upazila sank in the Bay of Bengal at Cox’s Bazar’s Fishing Ground point with 60 fishermen on board after getting caught in a storm on Friday night.
Although 13 fishermen have been rescued and kept at safe shelters in the Sundarbans and Hatia areas, 47 of them are still missing, said Tanvir Ahmed, Marine Fisheries Officer of the upazila.
According to locals, the sunken trawlers belonged to Lalmohan Batir Khal area’s Harunur Rashid Faruque, Lord Hardinge Burirdhan area’s Nuruddin Majhi and Gaitta area’s Nazim Uddin Majhi.
Faruk, owner of the trawler FV Lamiya, said that his trawler set sail towards the Bay from Batirkhal area with 13 fishermen on board on August 17.
“The trawler came across a storm and capsized on Friday night. On Saturday, I came to know that eight of the fishermen were rescued and brought back to safety while five others were still missing. The missing fishermen are Abdul Motaleb, Abul Kalam, Md Arif, Md Maksud and Md Nirob,” said Faruk.
Abul Kashem Mia, a UP chairman from Lalmohan area, said that five fishermen from the other three trawlers have been rescued.
“They are currently in Hatia. 42 fishermen are still missing,” said Kashem.
