Bodies of two crewmembers of Bangladeshi flag carrier MV Hope were identified Monday.
Earlier on July 4, a total of six crewmembers went missing after the vessel tilted at the coast of Phuket in Thailand, forcing 17 crewmembers to jump into the turbulent sea.
The two identified bodies were of Second Engineer Mohammed Nizamuuddin and oiler Ali Hossain.
CEO of Interport Maritime Limited Captain Mohiuddin Kader told the Dhaka Tribune that local fishermen had recovered the bodies from Lankawi coast of Malaysia on July 20. However, they could not be sure of their identities till Monday.
“We were confirmed about the identities upon receiving descriptions from the Malaysian authorities,” he said. However, DNA tests would be conducted to verify the identities, he added.
Mohammed Zakaria, son of the sailor Ali Hossain, said he had given up hope to find his father alive long ago. The family was now waiting to receive the body after the spokesman of the owner of the vessel would confirm them.
Mohammed Idrish, brother of Nizam Uddin, told the Dhaka Tribune that the owner of the vessel had asked them to go to the office on Tuesday [today], adding that they were also waiting to receive the body of their brother.
MV Hope, which was heading for Chittagong Port with imported raw materials from Malaysia, tilted at the coast in Andaman Sea as the cargo was hit by turbulent waves. Later, a container vessel rescued five crew members after eight hours while the Thai Royal Navy, Coast Guard and ocean-going vessels rescued four crewmen and bodies of two others.
Four others still missing are Captain Rajib Chandra Karmakar, electrician Sadim Ali, AB Nasir Uddin and chief cook Nasir Uddin.