18 fishermen stranded in Bay for 4 days

CHAR FASSON, BHOLA, Sept 23: Eighteen fishermen, including trawler skipper Hanif Mia, have been stranded in the Bay of Bengal for four days after the engine of their fishing trawler broke down amid rough weather.

The fishermen had set out from Hazariganj Mainuddin Fish Landing Station in Char Fasson Upazila to catch fish in the Bay. Their trawler’s engine reportedly broke down early Saturday after they were caught in bad weather and strong winds.

The latest communication with the fishermen was made around 10pm on Tuesday. However, they could not be rescued as the sea remained extremely rough.

According to the fishermen’s families and local fish landing station sources, the trawler is now drifting in the deep sea, around 80-100 kilometres east-southeast of the Sonarchar estuary in Rangabali Upazila of Patuakhali.

Fishermen aboard other trawlers in the area reportedly saw the stranded men and tried to approach them, but huge waves prevented them from reaching the disabled trawler. The stranded fishermen were seen signalling and shouting for help from a distance, according to other fishermen.

Local administration, the Coast Guard and naval police have been informed about the incident.

However, Rangabali Coast Guard and local administration officials said their stations currently do not have vessels large enough, adequate rescue equipment or sufficient manpower to conduct a rescue operation around 100 kilometres offshore.

As a result, authorities are having to rely on other fishing trawlers in the area, which is risky given the rough weather.

Mehedi Hasan, son of trawler owner and skipper Hanif Mia, said the families were extremely worried as the fishermen had been at sea for four days.

He feared that the food and drinking water aboard the trawler had already run out.

“I spoke to my father around 10pm on Tuesday. He said the sea was very rough. They sought help from several nearby trawlers by signalling, but the fishermen could not approach because of the huge waves,” Mehedi said.

Mehedi and traders at Hazariganj Fish Landing Station said they had contacted the national emergency service 999 and senior Coast Guard officials, requesting an immediate rescue operation.

The fishermen’s families and local residents urged the government to deploy a large Navy or Coast Guard vessel to rescue the 18 men as soon as possible.