United News of Bangladesh

A fishing trawler sank in the of the Bay of Bengal off Rangabali in Patuakhali amid inclement weather  but all nine fishermen aboard were rescued by another trawler on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, 18 fishermen have been stranded at sea since Saturday after their trawler’s engine broke down near Sonarchar. The depression over the Bay has intensified into a deep depression, causing cloudy weather and intermittent moderate rain in coastal Rangabali, Kuakata and the Payra seaport areas. Trawler’s owner Zahir Peya said it sank after being caught in rough waves. The nine fishermen aboard the trawler were rescued by another fishing trawler later at night. The 18 fishermen stranded near Sonarchar are currently located around 80 to 100 kilometres east-southeast of the estuary near Sonarchar. Their relatives said nearby fishing trawlers were unable to reach them because of the rough sea. The matter has been reported to the upazila administration, Coast Guard and naval police. Amzad Hossain, officer in charge of Rangabali Coast Guard, said it could take six to eight hours to reach the stranded fishermen. He also said there are limitations in terms of suitable vessels, manpower and rescue equipment to reach the location. Rangabali Naval Police said efforts are underway to rescue the 18 stranded fishermen with the help of other fishermen at sea. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the maximum sustained wind speed within 48 kilometres of the deep depression’s centre is 50 kilometres per hour, rising to 60 kilometres per hour in gusty or squally winds. As a result, maritime ports, including Payra, have been advised to keep hoisting local cautionary signal No. 3. Fishing boats and trawlers operating in the northern Bay have taken shelter in various channels, including the fishing ports of Alipur and Mahipur.

Two farmers went missing Saturday morning after a paddy-laden trawler capsized in the Padma river amid stormy weather near Louhajang turning point in Munshiganj district. The missing farmers were identified as Helal Fakir,50, and Alo Fakir,60. The trawler with 15 passengers , all farmers,  on board sank in the river while theywere returning home after harvesting paddy at Arial Beel with some 150 maunds of paddy. Also read: Boat capsizes in Sylhet; 2 missing Thirteen farmers were rescued alive with the help of  nearby vessels after the accident, said Abdul Awal, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Louhajang Upazila. He said fire service men were informed while locals were trying to trace the missing farmers at noon. Also read: Missing tourist’s body recovered after two days from Moheshkhali Channel “The trawler was moving defying the ban on trawler movement due to inclement weather  and action will be taken in this regard,” said UNO Abdul Awal.

Four workers have been missing after a stone-laden trawler sank in Padma River near Antar crossing in Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon.