Seven fishermen rescued as trawler sinks in Naf River after ‘Arakan Army’ chase

Fish and nets worth millions have been washed away, an official says

A fishing trawler has sunk in the Naf River estuary after allegedly being chased by Myanmar’s armed rebel group, the Arakan Army, while returning to Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar from the Bay of Bengal.

All seven fishermen managed to swim back to shore at Gara on Shah Parir Dwip around noon on Monday.

The returned fishermen are Sultan Ahmed, Nur Kabir, Kabir Ahmed, Ali Hossain, Shona Mia, Gafur Alam, and Abdul Amin Majhi.

Abul Kalam, general secretary of the Kayukkhalia Ghat Trawler Owners Association of Teknaf Municipality, said the trawler was owned by Mohammad Hashem, a resident of Teknaf Sadar.

“There were seven fishermen in it. Although they were able to return to the shore alive, the trawler sank. Fish and nets worth millions of taka in the trawler were washed away,” he added.