10 bodies found, 4 still missing
Bodies of 10 victims of trawler capsize during the onslaught of Cyclone Bulbul on Sunday were recovered in last two days while four remained missing as of filing this report yesterday evening.
After netting hilsa from a coastal area, trawler Ammajan-2 carrying around 24 fishermen went to Chandpur for selling it and capsized at the confluence of the Meghna and Elisha rivers when the trawler was on its return journey to Bhola, said Md Ruhul Amin, upazila nirbahi officer of Charfassion in Bhola.
Ignoring the warning signal and restriction on plying of water transport, the fishermen in a trawler made their journey in turbulent river to and from Chandpur, said Masud Alam Siddik, deputy commissioner of Bhola.
“A two-member investigation committee, led by Additional District Magistrate Mridha Md Muzahidul Islam, has been formed and they have been asked to submit report by next Sunday. We heard that a few fishermen are still missing,” he said.
At least 10 fishermen from the capsized trawler survived by swimming to the bank.
Body of fisherman Khoreshd Majhi, 40, was found at Sreepur in Mehendiganj upazila of Barisal on Sunday night.
Bodies of nine others -- Kamal Dalal, 35, Abbas Munshi, 45, Hasan Molla, 38, Rafiq Biswas, 55, Nurunnabi Bepari, 30, Mafij Mtabbar, 35, Nazrul Islam, 35, Kabir Hossain, 40, and Md Billal, 32, were recovered from the Bahadurpur-Elisha point of the Meghna river in the same upazila on Monday.
The victims hailed from different areas of Charfassion upazila.
The ten bodies were handed over to family members after identification and Tk 25 thousand was given to family members of each victim, said Komol Chandra Dey, sub inspector of Mehendiganj Police Station.
Lokman Majhi, uncle of victim Kabir Hossain said, “They went to the Bay on a trawler of Tofayel Majhi about 10 days ago. After netting 90 maunds of hilsa, they returned to the shore due to adverse weather on November 9.”
“Fearing rotting of the fish due to due to lack of ice, they went to Chandpur in a hurry and sold it for Tk 18 lakh there. While returning from there, the trawler capsized, being caught in the storm,” he said.
Fishermen of the coastal region sometimes take risky journeys to the Bay, ignoring cautionary weather signals, especially when they eye good catches after lifting of seasonal ban on netting of hilsa, said officials.
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