E-Paper
Five Indian fishermen die, 20 missing in Bangladesh
KOLKATA : Five Indian fishermen died and 20 are still reported missing after their boats, which had drifted away into Bangladeshi waters during a cyclonic storm,
KOLKATA : Five Indian fishermen died and 20 are still reported missing after their boats, which had drifted away into Bangladeshi waters during a cyclonic storm, capsized in the rough seas, officials said on Sunday.
According to the Indian Coast Guard, which is conducting search and rescue operations jointly with the Bangladesh Coast Guard, the boat “Mahagauri” with 17 crew members had drifted across the international maritime boundary line (IMBL) and capsized.
One crew of the boat Anup Das was rescued by a Bangladeshi fishing boat and handed over to an Indian fishing boat near the IMBL.
Five bodies were found from near the capsized boat which was found south of Heron Point in Bangladeshi waters, officials said.
The boat had turned turtle and is being towed to the nearest landing point where it will be checked to see if any more bodies were trapped inside.
Another fisherman, Nirmal Jana, was rescued while 10 crew members of the boat are still untraceable.
Another boat “Prosenjit”, feared to have been capsized in the rough seas, is still missing, with an estimated 10 people on board.
Inspector general KR Nautiyal, Coast Guard Commander (north east) said, “each life at sea is precious to us and our assets will comb the area for survivors.”
South 24 Parganas district magistrate PB Salim said on the night between August 7 and August 8, about 200 trawlers from the district had ventured to the high seas.
Eight of them went missing in the cyclonic storm, he said.
