The authorities have recovered five more bodies after a fishing trawler capsized in the Bay of Bengal amid rough weather. It brings the death toll to seven.
One other fisherman onboard the Mayer Doa, which sank on Friday, is still missing, according to Inspector Md Selim Uddin of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, reports bdnews24.com.
On Sunday morning, local fishermen spotted three floating bodies near the mouth of the Bankkhali River and brought them back in a trawler, he said. Two more bodies were found in the afternoon.
The dead men were identified as Hossain Ahmed, Azizul Haque, Md Absar, Nazir Hossain and Nurul Islam.
The bodies of two other fishermen, Md Ayub and Saiful Islam, were recovered on Saturday.
Police said the Mayer Doa, owned by Zakir Hossain from the Sadar Upazila’s Khurushkul area, set sail on Tuesday with 19 seafarers onboard. The trawler was damaged by the rough seas on its way back to shore on Friday.
Bangladesh Coast Guard personnel, with the help of local fishermen, rescued eight fishermen on Friday afternoon. Three others were found in other parts of the sea in the evening.
Police are currently working to hand over the bodies to their families without autopsies, said Inspector Selim.
As many as 11 fishing trawlers have capsized while dozens of others have lost communication with the shore in rough weather in Patuakhali and Pirojpur.
Families and traders said more than 500 fishermen were on the trawlers.
Many of the fishermen, who had ventured out recently before a low formed over the Bay of Bengal, have returned home but most of them were still missing until Saturday.
The fishermen went to the sea after a 65-day ban on fishing had ended recently. Fishing stopped again as the weather became rough. They ventured out after the weather improved.
Three days ago, Bangladesh Meteorological Department asked the ports to hoist local cautionary signal No. 3, advising the fishermen to remain close to the shore.