Some 300 fishermen of 20 fishing trawlers have gone missing in the deep sea of Bay of Bengal amid inclement weather due to cyclone Midhili. This incident provoked anxiety in the community of fishermen. Barguna District Trawler Owners Association President Mostafa Chowdhury confirmed this information on Friday morning.
According to the District Fishermen and Trawler Owners’ Association, around 1500 trawlers are used in Barguna to catch fish in the deep sea. All the trawlers have returned to the shore due to the hostile weather but there is no trace of 20 trawlers. Mostafa Chowdhury said: “300 fishermen including 20 fishing trawlers of Patharghata upazila are missing. There is anxiety in the fishermen’s community over the disappearances. Search is underway to trace their location.”
District Commissioner Md Rafiqul Islam said: “I have learned about the disappearance of 20 trawlers along with the fishermen. The Coast Guard, local administration and fisheries association have been directed to carry out their efforts to trace them.”