Coast Guard rescues 19 fishermen stranded in deep sea after engine failure
Staff Correspondent
In a successful maritime rescue operation, the Bangladesh Coast Guard has safely rescued 19 fishermen from a fishing boat that had been drifting blindly in the deep sea for two days due to engine failure.
Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon, Media Officer at Coast Guard Headquarters, said this in a press release on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Coast Guard sources, the fishing trawler, named FB Maa-2, sailed out into the Bay of Bengal from Hatiya on July 8 for deep-sea fishing. However, on July 13, the vessel’s engine broke down, leaving it at the mercy of the sea currents. After drifting for two days, the boat entered a mobile network coverage zone on Wednesday morning, allowing one of the stranded fishermen to immediately contact the Coast Guard for help at around 10:00 AM.
Upon receiving the distress call, a coordinated rescue team from the Vhashan Char Coast Guard Station and the patrol vessel BCGS Kutubdia, which was deployed under 'Operation Surokkha', immediately launched a search operation. The team successfully located and rescued all 19 fishermen along with their disabled vessel from the deep sea area west of Chattogram’s Norman's Point.
The rescued fishermen were provided with primary medical check-ups and necessary emergency food supplies. The process of handing over the fishermen and the boat to the owners has been taken.
The media officer reiterated that the Coast Guard will continue its swift and dedicated humanitarian rescue operations to ensure the absolute safety of fishermen across the country.
