20 fishermen missing in sea for 20 days

It has been 20 days since fishing boat “MV Jahar Lal” along with its 20 crew has remained missing in the Bay of Bengal after starting a voyage on May 30 from Banshkhali upazila of Chittagong.

“Of the crew, 17 are from Banshkhali's Puichhari union. The rest are from Kutubdia of Cox's Bazar,” said OC Salah Uddin of Banshkhali Police Station. The trawler's owner filed a general diary on June 14.

The OC said they have informed Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy about the missing boat.

“They are trying to find the trawler,” said Masudur Rahman Molla, UNO of Banshkhali.

OC Salah Uddin said MV Jahar Lal and the crew had left for fishing at Sonarchar point near Kutubdia on May 31. They were scheduled to return on June 12. “The sea is very rough in the recent period. We are not sure whether the trawler capsized or not,” said the OC.

Meanwhile, family members of the missing fishermen are passing days amid worry.