Nine bodies of fishermen have been recovered eight days after a trawler sank in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal. Six fishermen remain missing, with rescue teams continuing their search operation.
The trawler, named Jai Maa Kali, had departed from the Shankarpur fishing harbour in East Midnapore district on 2 July with 15 fishermen on board. Contact with the vessel was lost after 6 July.
An official said the bodies had been in the sea for several days and were badly decomposed, making identification difficult. Authorities said the identities of the victims can only be confirmed through DNA testing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and announced financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each for the families of those who died through the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
Sunken trawler found after 8 days of search
According to the district administration, police and the Indian Coast Guard located the sunken trawler near Bagher Char, about 35 kilometres from the Bakkhali coast, on Saturday after eight days of searching.
On Sunday, it was brought to the Sitarampur coast in Patharpratima with the help of several fishing trawlers. After that, in a relief operation that continued throughout the night, nine bodies of fishermen were recovered from inside the trawler.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the trawler may have capsized due to bad weather in the Bay of Bengal. However, the actual cause of the accident will only be revealed after the investigation is completed.
3 brothers from Odisha also missing
Among the missing fishermen are three brothers from Odisha’s Balasore district – Ravindra Majhi (52), Jayaram Majhi (49), and Jagannath Majhi (45). Their relative Sannyasi Majhi said that all three had been to Shankarpur several times before for fishing.
The official said that initially 16 people were planned to go on the trawler, but one person did not go for some reason. The remaining deceased and missing fishermen are residents of East Medinipur, Howrah, and Nadia districts. Their family members are still waiting outside the mortuary of Kakdwip Sub-divisional Hospital.
