33 trawlers missing in Bay
Our Correspondent, Barisal
At least 33 fishing trawlers with 426 crewmembers and fishermen are missing on the Bay of Bengal after they were caught in a sudden storm on Saturday.Most of the missing trawlers sailed from Patharghata and Kalapara coasts of Barguna and Patuakhali on Thursday. The local administration or the owners of the trawlers made no attempts to send a search and rescue team out to sea as turbulent weather prevails over the bay. Local weather office declared Cautionary Signal No-3 and advised vessels to take shelter close to the shore. They asked fishermen not to go out to sea until the weather improved. Meanwhile, pirates allegedly kept 180 fishermen and crewmembers of 15 trawlers hostage after the boats took shelter in the narrow canals of Sundarbans during the Saturday's storm. Zaman Majhi, a crewmember of a trawler after escaping the clutches of the pirates, said the pirates wanted Tk 2 lakhs as ransom for each trawler and its crewmembers. The police and the local administration are yet to launch a rescue operation due to adverse weather.
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