The bodies of four more workers have been retrieved from a sand-laden dredger that sank off the coast of Chattogram's Mirsarai in the wake of Cyclone Sitrang. All eight people aboard the vessel are now confirmed dead, bdnews24.com reports.
Three of the bodies were pulled out of the sunken ship on Wednesday morning, while the other was recovered late at night, according to Mirsarai Upazila Nirbahi Officer Minhazur Rahman.
However, the authorities were only able to identify three of the victims as Abul Bashar, Tarek and Shaheen Alam.
Abdullah Al Harun Pasha, deputy assistant director of the fire service who took part in the search operation, said rescuers cut open several sections of the vessel and recovered three bodies from inside. The other body was found buried in the sand.
As all eight missing workers have now been traced, the search and rescue efforts have now ended, said Harun.
The dredger, hired by a contractor to supply sand to Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority, capsized in the rough seas whipped up by the cyclone on Monday. As the storm beckoned, only one of the nine people onboard the vessel heeded calls to return to shore, while the others decided to stay put.