25 Indian fishermen missing in B'desh waters: Coast Guard

At least 25 Indian fishermen are missing as four fishing trawlers "probably capsized" in Bangladesh waters, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said on Monday.

The ICG has requested its Bangladesh counterpart for assisting in the search and rescue operation for the four boats and the missing crew members.

According to Bijon Maity, the secretary of the West Bengal United Fishermen Association, the missing fishermen are from Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district and had set sail from Namkhana in the four trawlers on Thursday.

An official of the fisheries department had informed that out of the 61 crew on board these four boats, 36 were rescued by other fishing trawlers and 25 others are still missing, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

The department told the ICG that four Indian fishing boats -- 'Dashabhuja', 'Babaji', 'Joyjogiraj' and 'Nayan' -- have "probably capsized" in Bangladesh waters, the spokesperson said.

The ICG has deployed a hovercraft, fast patrol vessel and an aircraft on Monday for search operation in the Indian waters, the official said.

Earlier, the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) and the ICG had ensured safe return of 114 Indian fishing boats, which had reportedly taken shelter in Bangladesh waters due to inclement weather and high seas. These boats returned to the Indian side through the Haribhanga river and reached the Kakdwip fishing harbour on Sunday night, the spokesperson said.

The BCG had also reported sighting of another 32 stranded Indian fishing boats near the Payra Port, 130 km across the maritime boundary with Bangladesh. It is planning to guide them to Indian waters after the weather conditions improve, the ICG said.