Dhaka – At least 40 fishermen were feared drowned at the weekend in Bangladesh after nearly a dozen trawlers sank among rising waves touched off by tropical gales sweeping the Bay of Bengal coast, rescuers and witnesses said Sunday.
More than 150 fishermen were saved from the water by coast guard divers who searched the tiny offshore islands for survivors.
‘Several fishermen had taken refuge in the rice-growing islands with their wind battered trawlers,’ said Bangladesh Coast Guard Commander Nazrul Islam.
Islam said the search operation for the missing fishermen would continue amidst driving monsoon rains.
Officials in the southern Bangladesh port of Mongla said the missing were among those fishermen who had ignored the overnight storm signals.
