Five rescued after boat sinks in Bay

Five fishermen, who went missing after a boat capsized in the Bay's Bangla Channel yesterday, were rescued after nearly two and a half hours of the accident.

The boat sank after being hit by a seatruck ferry carrying tourists around 3:30pm, said Abu Taher, president of Fishing Boat Owners' Association in Saint Martin's Island.

The association sent three trawlers to rescue the missing men, and the rescuers brought the victims to the seashore alive around 6:00pm, he said. Their identities could not be known immediately.

The fishermen were taken to a Saint Martin's hospital. However, the boat still remained untraced, Taher added.

The boat capsized around four kilometres north off the island.

The seatruck, a vessel of Keari Sindabad, on its way to Teknaf from Saint Martin's Island hit the fishing boat, leaving all the five fishermen missing, said Assistant Sub-inspector Harun-or-Rashid, in-charge of Saint Martin's Police Camp.