A group of 17 fishermen has been adrift in the Bay of Bengal for three days following an engine failure of their fishing trawler near Mandarbaria. Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, a fisherman on the coast, said the trawler “FB Ma”, owned by one Salam of Badurtala village in Barguna district, left for fishing on September 10.
Jamal Mia, one of the fishermen of the trawler on Thursday evening informed that the trawler’s engine failed the day after they left. Since there is no mobile network at the sea, the fishermen could not be contacted any further.
In this regard, Patharghata Coast Guard Station Contingent Commander Masudur Rahman Morel said: “We have received information and members of Mongla Coast Guard have started an operation to rescue them. The area of the Bay of Bengal where the trawler’s engine failed is part of the Bagerhat district.”
He added that multiple teams of the Mongla Coast Guard are working to find the fishermen. Meanwhile, the maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal no three as the low over Northwest Bay and adjoining West-central Bay has intensified into a well-marked low over Northwest Bay off North Odisha-west Bengal Coasts
Under its influence, a steep pressure gradient lies over North Bay and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh. All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain closed to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.