Five missing Bengal fishermen found dead

The bodies of five fishermen from West Bengal were fished out on Sunday after their boats drifted into Bangladeshi waters and capsized, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard were carrying out search and rescue missions since August 9 when over 20 fishing boats and trawlers carrying nearly 300 fishermen went missing in the Bay of Bengal following a storm and rough weather.

"Fishing boat 'Mahagauri' which drifted across the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and capsized, was south of Heron Point in Bangladeshi waters," said a Coast Guard spokesperson.

"Search and rescue operation are continuing with the Bangladesh Coast Guard also joining in. So far, 254 fishermen and 20 of the 22 fishing boats have been rescued and brought back by them," added the officer.

Indian Coast Guard ships and Dornier aircrafts have been joined by BNS Amin and BNS Sangu -- two Bangladeshi Coast guard ships -- in the search operations.

The dead fishermen were residents of Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district.

--IANS

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