67 fishermen missing as 10 trawlers capsize in Bay

At least 67 fishermen went missing as ten trawlers capsized during a storm in the Bay yesterday morning.

Forty seven of them are missing in Patuakhali district and 20 in Barguna district.

The capsized trawlers are F B Imran, F B Hasina-Samina, F B Ratan, F B Habib and F B Sobahan of Patuakhali district; and F B Sonai,  F B Allar Dan, F B Mannan and F B Khan Jahan ALi of Barguna district. Name of the other trawler could not be known.

Ansar Uddin Mollah, president of Alipur fish traders' association, said 25 fishermen were rescued from two trawlers.

Sources said a storm hit the fishermen aboard five trawlers in the Bay, about 50-km south of Kuakata sea beach in the morning. Forty-seven fishermen went missing when the boats capsized.

Nearby trawlers rescued all 18 fishermen of F B Imran and seven out of 12 fishermen of F B Hasina-Samina, while five fishermen of the trawler are still missing, Moullah said, adding that around 40 fishermen of three trawlers, F B Raton, F B Habib and F B Sobahan, are still missing.

In Barguna, at least 20 fishermen went missing as five trawlers that were fishing  about 60-km south of Patharghata fish landing station in Barguna capsized during a storm, said Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of Barguna Fishing Trawlers Owners' Association.

Of the missing fishermen, Kuddus, Saidul Islam and Shahin of F B Khan Jahan ALi, and Anamul of F B Abdullah were identified while the identity of the rest could not be known, sources said.

"We have sent a trawler to search for the missing fishermen," said Md. Siddik, president of Patharghata Upazila Majhee (Driver) Association.