Authorities are still working to fully identify the 10 decomposed bodies recovered from a fishing trawler floating off Nazirertek Beach in Cox's Bazar on Sunday.
Police have been cautious in handing over the bodies to the families waiting outside the hospital morgue, emphasizing the need for complete identification before releasing the remains.
However, families and relatives have claimed that they have recognized the bodies.
According to their families, the deceased are Samshul Alam, 23, Saiful Islam, 18, Sawkat Ullah, 18, Osman Goni, 17, Saifullah, 23, Parvez Mosharraf, 14, Nurul Kabir, 28, Saiful Islam, 34, Mohammad Shahjahan, 35 and Tarek Zia, 25.
Cox's Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police Md Rafiqul Islam said the recovered bodies, currently undergoing autopsy at the hospital morgue, are subject to several legal procedures, starting with DNA tests.
They will only be handed over to the relatives once these processes are complete, he said.
Dhaka TribuneStating that no murder case has been filed yet, Rafiqul Islam said: “This is a significant murder case, and multiple law enforcement agencies, including the CID and PBI, are actively investigating the matter. A comprehensive report on the entire incident will be provided once their work is completed.”
The decomposed bodies of 10 fishermen were found on a trawler floating off Nazirertek Beach in Cox's Bazar on Sunday.
Sources said a unit of Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the spot and recovered the 10 bodies.
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According to local fishermen, a few days ago a group of robbers attacked the trawler, looting and killing the fishermen onboard, before putting them inside the trawler's deck and making a hole in it.
Locals said that the fishing trawler went to sea for fishing at least 15 to 16 days ago.