The bodies of five fishers missing after the fishing trawler FB Barkat sank in rough weather in the Bay of Bengal were recovered about 22 hours later. The bodies were found in deep waters around 11am on Tuesday, August 25, according to trawler owner and helmsman Badal Mollah. A trawler carrying the bodies was returning toward the coast and was expected to take about three hours to reach Patharghata.

FB Barkat sank on Monday afternoon after being hit by adverse weather and strong waves. There were 13 fishers aboard; eight were rescued alive while five remained missing. The deceased were identified as Nur Alam, 37, Kawsar, 30, Saikul, 33, Ibrahim, 28, and Bellal, 22, all from different areas of Patharghata Sadar Union.

Survivor Yunus Mollah, the trawler’s cook, said several exhausted fishers had been sleeping inside the bridge while preparations were underway to cast nets. He said a sudden storm and heavy waves overturned the vessel. Eight fishers floated in the sea for about two hours before another fishing trawler rescued them. A trawler dispatched by the district fishers’ trawler owners association located the bodies. Police said legal action would follow after the bodies arrived.