Five more bodies from storm-tossed fishing trawler wash up on Cox’s Bazar shore

The bodies of five more fishermen, who were on board a storm-tossed fishing vessel in the Bay of Bengal, have washed up on the shore of Cox's Bazar, taking the death toll in the accident to 11.

It comes after the recovery of six bodies from Cox's Bazar's Sea-Gull Point beach on Wednesday. Two others were also rescued that day and sent to the hospital in critical condition.

Three bodies were found floating near the shores of Cox’s Bazar and Maheshkhali at different times on Thursday night, said Cox's Bazar Central Police OC Md Farid Uddin.

“A body was recovered from the Himchhari point, another from Kutubjome in Maheshkhali and the third one from Samity Para in Cox’s Bazar. Nine fishermen on the trawler were found dead while two have been rescued,” he said.

One body each was retrieved from Himchharhi and Moheshkhali’s Hoanok on Thursday afternoon, according to Cox’s Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police Md Iqbal Hossain.

Police have identified nine of the dead. They include Shamsuddin Patwary, 45, from Rasulpur, Char Fasson in Bhola, Mohammed Babul, 32 and Kamal Hossain, 35 from East Madras, Mohammed Masud, 45, Wazi Ullah alias Monir, 38, and Wali Ullah, 50, from North Madras and Jahangir Bali, 40 from Shashibishon in Rasulpur.

The bodies were kept at the Cox’s Bazar Central Hospital's morgue, said OC Farid.

One fisherman is still missing while the two survivors are receiving treatment in Cox’s Bazar Central Hospital.

Citing the accounts of the rescued fishermen, police said the trawler was owned by one 'Mintu' of Bhola's Char Fasson area.

On July 4, the trawler left the Chhamraj jetty for the sea with 14 fishermen on board, said rescued fisherman Monir Ahmed. The trawler met rough weather and toppled on July 6.