45 fishermen missing as 19 trawlers capsize

At least 45 fishermen went missing as 19 trawlers capsized in the Bay during a storm on Sunday night.

Our Patuakhali correspondent reported that 12 fishing trawlers with at least 30 fishermen on board capsized at Sonar Char point in the Bay, about

40-km from Kuakata beach, at around 10:30pm on Sunday.

Ansar Uddin Mollah, president of Mohipur-Alipur Fishing Trawlers Owners Association, told this correspondent over cellphone that the fishing were caught in windstorm on the Bay and sank.

Of the trawlers, one was from Amkhola area under Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali, six were from Lalmohon area of Bhola, and the rest five were from Banshkhali area of Cox's Bazar districts, Mollah said, adding that they had sent a trawler yesterday noon to search for the missing fishermen.

Fishing trawler FB Shahin's driver Noor Alam Majhi, who returned to Mohipur fish landing station in Kalapara at around 11:00am yesterday, said his trawler was hit by the storm while nine fishermen aboard it were fishing.

“Hearing screams, another trawler rescued us and brought to Mohipur,” driver Noor said, adding that 12 fishing trawlers with at least 20 fishermen capsized in the Bay.

According to Bhola correspondent, seven fishing trawlers with at least 25 fishermen capsized in the Bay during a storm on Sunday night.

Of the missing fishermen, 14 are from Charfashion upazila while the remaining 11 from Daulatkhan upazila of the district.

Abdus Salam Howlader, owner of a trawler and also a leader of Dhalchar Fish Landing station in Charfashion upazila, said the trawlers of Harun Majhi, Yousuf Majhi, Shahajahan Majhi, Siraj Majhi, Kamal Majhi and Humaun Majhi with 56 fishermen aboard were caught in a storm in Puber Char, Shibpur, Tinpani and Kaluchar areas in the Bay at around 8:00pm and capsized.

Other fishing trawlers rescued 42 fishermen while the rest 14 remained missing as of filing of this report at 5:00pm yesterday.

Salam said around 30 fishing trawlers from Dhalchar, Kukri and Dakatia fish landing stations were sent to the Bay yesterday to search for the missing fishermen.

In another incident, fishing trawler FB Maa-2 of Chowdhury Mollah of Daulatkhan upazila capsized with 18 fishermen in Challis Pani area of the Bay the same night.

Of the missing fishermen, seven were rescued by another trawler of the same owner. They are Faruk, 60, Abdur Rahim, 30, Alem, 55, Mostofa, 45, Kalu, 32, Jahanigr, 34 and Salem, 45. They are now under going treatment at Daulatkhan Upazila Health Complex.