A fishing trawler named FB Mohima has sunk off Taltali in Barguna. It went down in rough weather in the Bay of Bengal while heading back to shore with fishermen it had taken off a trawler whose engine had failed. Of the 18 fishermen on board, 16 were rescued alive, but two are still missing.
Taltali Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Zahidul Islam confirmed the incident at midday on Wednesday, 8 July.
The missing fishermen are Kalam, 60, and Shahid, 55, both of Sonakata union in Taltali upazila.
How it happened
According to the trawler's owner and local sources, 10 to 15 fishing trawlers set out together to catch hilsa from Sakina Ghat in the Fakirhat area of Taltali before dawn on Tuesday, 7 July. In rough weather one trawler's engine failed. FB Mohima went to help, and five fishermen from the disabled boat boarded it, staying on to haul in the disabled boat's net. With heavy waves and worsening weather, all the other trawlers, including the disabled one, returned safely, but FB Mohima did not. Fishermen on shore tried to reach those on board but found all their mobile phones switched off.
At around 3am on Tuesday night, fishermen on another trawler rescued 12 men found floating in the sea. They were admitted to the health complex in Mahipur, Patuakhali, for treatment. Another trawler rescued four more. There has been no trace of the sunken trawler or the two missing men.
Search held back by weather
Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna fishing trawler owners' association, told Jagonews24: "Two fishermen from Taltali upazila are missing after the trawler sank at sea. We have got two trawlers ready to search for them, but because of the rough weather we cannot send any trawler to sea right now."
UNO Mohammad Zahidul Islam told Jagonews24: "Of the 18 fishermen who went missing when the trawler sank, 16 have been rescued, and we have been in touch with their families. The Coast Guard has been informed about the two missing fishermen and will take the necessary steps to rescue them."
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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