Kolkata, Jul 13 (PTI) Bodies of nine fishermen were recovered from a trawler that sank in the Bay of Bengal off the South 24 Parganas coast of West Bengal, while six others remained missing, a senior official said on Monday.
The bodies were so decomposed that they were difficult to identify. Some of the victims might be from neighbouring Odidha.
The trawler, ‘Joy Ma Kali’, had left Shankarpur fishing harbour in Purba Medinipur district on July 2 with 15 fishermen on board for a fishing expedition. Contact with the vessel was lost after July 6, the official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy.
“The loss of lives in the boat accident in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal is deeply saddening. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a post on X.
After an eight-day search, the submerged trawler was located on Saturday near Bagher Char, around 35 km off the Bakkhali coast, by the police and the Indian Coast Guard, the official said.
Several fishing trawlers towed the vessel to the Sitarampur coast in Patharpratima on Sunday. Rescue personnel worked through the night and recovered the bodies of nine fishermen from inside the trawler.
The South 24 Parganas district official said six fishermen were still untraceable and search operations were continuing.
“The Coast Guard, police and local fishermen are carrying out an intensive search operation to trace the missing fishermen. The bodies have been sent to Kakdwip Sub-Divisional Hospital for post-mortem examination, and the district administration is extending all possible assistance to the bereaved families,” the official told PTI.
The official said preliminary findings suggested the trawler might have capsized after encountering rough weather in the Bay of Bengal, though the exact cause would be established after an inquiry.
He said that the nine bodies were so decomposed that they were difficult to identify.
“We will be able to establish their identities only after DNA tests. Until then, we will not be able to say how many of the deceased are from West Bengal and how many are from Odisha,” he said.
Among those missing are three brothers from Odisha’s Balasore district, Rabindra Majhi (52), Jayaram Majhi (49) and Jagannath Majhi (45). A relative, Sannyasi Majhi, said the three had travelled to Shankarpur for fishing work as they had done on several earlier occasions.
“Their aged parents, wives and young children are now left with no support. We hope the government will stand by the families,” he said.
The remaining deceased and missing fishermen belong to Purba Medinipore, Howrah and Nadia districts. Family members have been waiting outside the mortuary at Kakdwip Sub-Divisional Hospital as the search for the remaining six fishermen continues. PTI SCH NN
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