Members of the Bangladesh Coast Guard have rescued 114 fishermen and salvaged 11 trawlers from the Bay of Bengal on Sunday following their capsize two days ago due to storm.
The fishermen were rescued around noon, said Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of Barguna District Fishing Trawler Owners' Association.
He said: “After the trawlers capsized on Friday, both Fishing Trawler Owners' Association and the Sundarbans Dublarchar Fishermen Group along with Bangladesh Coast Guard were at the rescue mission.”
On Saturday, the Bangladesh Coast Guard recovered bodies of two fishermen who were reported missing after their vessel sank at the bay during a storm.
The deceased were identified as Mamun Sheikh, 40, and Ismail Hossain, 30, said Lieutenant Commander Abdur Rahman Bangladesh Coast Guard headquarters (Media Officer).
On February 4, more than 32 fishing trawlers including 12 of Barguna, Pirojpur and 20 of Bagerhut, capsized due to storms in different parts of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to the Sundarbans.
According to people familiar with the matter, nearly 30,000 fishermen came to Dublar Char to process dry fish last November and had been living there since then.
Earlier, Pralad Chandra Roy, in-charge of Dublarchar Forest Camp in the eastern parts of the Sundarbans, said a sudden rainstorm hit the area around 10pm on Friday.
Ten fishing trawlers sank within 8 kilometers of Dublar Char and 8 fishing trawlers capsized in different areas of the Bay of Bengal, 45 kilometers off Dublar Char.