Around 300 fishermen off the coast of Bangladesh are still missing after many trawlers, which went fishing in the Bay of Bengal amid foul weather, remain out contact till Saturday. The body of one more fisherman was recovered on Sunday, raising the death toll from trawler capsize to six.
Efforts are on to rescue missing people as 250 fishermen on board 23 trawlers from Pathorgatha in Barguna and 27 from Hatiya in Noakhali have not yet returned while some 100 fishermen have been rescued, sources said.
Dulal Uddin, the owner of a fish landing station at Amtoli Ghat in Hatiya, said that a total of 27 fishermen from his fish depot still remain missing. Of them, 15 went for fishing with a trawler driven by Kamru Majhi.
Two fishermen were rescued near Cox’s Bazar coast but the remaining ones remain out of contact, he added.
Twelve fishermen, who went for fishing with a trawler driven by Rahim Majhi, also remain missing. Two of them were rescued near Nijhum Dwip. Another trawler carrying 17 fishermen also capsized, and all of them were rescued.
In Patharghata, Barguna, 23 trawlers with around 250 fishermen are still missing. Lutfulahhil Nishan, the owner of a trawler from Jahajmara, said six trawlers, including four from Nijhum Dwip and two from Jahajmara’s Katakhali Ghat, have lost contact.
Some fishermen, who returned to Patharghata said that they could not contact the missing trawlers at sea, which has raised concerns among the trawler owners.
The Coast Guard’s Southern Zone in Patharghata has intensified search operations in the Bay of Bengal.
Lieutenant Md. Sakib Mehebub said, “Some fishermen were rescued by naval ships, but their identities could not be known ascertained yet. We are hopeful of locating the missing fishermen soon.”
Search operation continues amid the rough weather caused by depression. The Meteorological Department has issued local cautionary signal Number 3 for seaports in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, and Payra, advising fishing boats to remain in port.
In Cox’s Bazar, floodwater are receding, but 30 villages in the district still remain submerged. Heavy rain over the past few days have worsened the flooding in Noakhali, inundation many roads and hundreds of houses.
Meteorologist Hafizur Rahman said that the depression now persisting over West Bengal is expected to bring intermittent rain throughout Sunday, with a possible decrease in intensity by today (Monday).
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center said that there is no risk of widespread flooding, as no rivers are flowing above danger levels. However, light to moderate rainfall is likely in Dhaka, Khulna, and other regions.
Patuakhali recorded the highest with 223mm rainfall in the last 24 hours while 32mm was recorded in Dhaka.