Missing fishermen: Total 14 bodies found

With the recovery of five bodies today, the Indian Coast Guard has recovered 14 of the 19 fishermen who went missing on Monday after their trawlers capsized in the Bay of Bengal, a top ICG official said.

Five bodies were recovered today which were trapped inside the fishing boat Joykrisna. The boat was sighted capsized about 30 nautical miles south of Dalhousie islands and was towed to the coast. The bodies are being identified, the official said.

Coast Guard Dornier aircraft from Kolkata and Bhubaneswar, hovercraft from Frazerganj and ICGS Sujoy inspite of inclement weather and rough seas carried out extensive search for missing fishermen.

Coast Guard station Frazerganj is coordinating with fisheries associations for further operation, the official said adding a weather advisory to the fishermen has been issued not to venture into seas due to depression formed in north west Bay of Bengal.

The fishermen had ventured into the sea from Frazerganj in South 24 Parganas district.

Six to seven trawlers carrying men from the Namkhana and Kakdwip areas of South 24 Parganas had set sail around 10 am on Monday, Bijan Maity, Secretary, West Bengal United Fishermen Association, said.

Ten fishermen on board FB Joykrisna, six on board FB Malleshwar and three more, who were on other trawlers, had gone missing, Maity said.