Cargo vessel capsizes in Bay with 12 crew, one missing

A cargo vessel MV Moumoni with 12 crew members capsized in the Bay of Bengal in Hatiya upazila of Noakhali due to inclement weather today.

The incident took place in the bay near Bhasan Char Rohingya camp around 12:00pm, our Cumilla correspondent reports quoting Sub-Inspector Mehdi Zaman, also in-charge of Hatiya River Police.

A crew member of the vessel went missing following the capsize but 11 others were rescued by another ship, said Md Salim, an official of Bangladesh Coast Guard in Hatiya office.

However, the identity of the missing sailor could not be known yet.

Hatiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shubashis Chakma said the coast guard members continued searching to rescue the missing crew.

However, the missing crew could not be traced till the filing of this report around 9:00pm.

Coast Guard Officer Md Salim also said as the cargo with 12 sailors sank in the Bay of Bengal, the ship's master jumped into the water and went missing, but the rest 11 crews were all floating on the upper part of the sunken vessel.

The crew members later called the national emergency service 999 seeking help.

Later, two teams of Hatiya Coast Guard and Nalchira river Police left Nalchira Ghat in Hatia around 2:00pm to rescue them.

Meanwhile, another ship, heading towards Chattogram from Dhaka, rescued the 11 crews this afternoon, said the coast guard officials.

Talking to this correspondent, Mohammad Ohayedul Islam, one of the owners of MV Moumoni, said the ship might have sunk due to adverse weather conditions, but the actual cause of the capsize is not known yet.

He also said the ship was travelling to Dhaka from Chattogram with goods. There were 12 sailors onboard.