10 bodies recovered from coast of Sundarbans

The bodies might be of the ill-fated fishermen gone missing during the depressions and storms created in the Bay since August 10, the local fishing trawler owners and workers said.

Dublar Char Fishermen Group buried the decomposed bodies in a mass grave at Alorkol from Wednesday to Friday, reports from the remote area of the Sundarbans coast at the south-west of the country said.

Witnesses said the bodies were of mid-aged males and burial was done in mass grave as these were beyond identification, adding that some 25/30 more bodies have been seen floating in the Bay, at about 80 kilometre of the Patharghata coast of Bagerhat district.

Golam Mustafa Chowdhury, president of Barguna district Trawler Owners Association alleged that district and local administration were informed about the catastrophe, but they did not take any steps to rescue or recover the missing fishermen.

Abdur Rashid, an official of the Dublar Char Fishermen Group, said after receiving reports of floating bodies, rescue teams were sent on Wednesday that searched the 10 kilometre area from Alorkol to Meherali and recovered the bodies. As the sea became rough, fresh rescue attempts were suspended, he added.

Md Moinuddin, deputy commissioner (DC) of Bagerhat, said a 10-member police team has been sent to the spot from Sharonkhola Police Station and forest and coast guard members are helping the recovery attempts.

But the officials of Dublar Char Fishermen Group denied his claims and said that the police team went back only after visiting Alorkol and did not make any attempts to recover the bodies from the sea.

Hearing the reports of the recoveries, relatives of the missing fishermen and crew thronged different fishing trawler association offices in the coastal area.