The South 24 Parganas district administration reported that 17 fishermen were rescued after their fishing trawler capsized in the deep sea, 40 kilometers away from Bagherchar in the Sunderbans.
District administrative sources stated that the fishermen were taken to a hospital for primary treatment.
The trawler met with an accident in the deep sea while returning from catching Hilsa fish on Friday evening. Some other trawlers were also returning from the sea with Hilsa. However, the fishing trawler named FB Anik encountered an accident 40 km away from Bagherchar in the Sundarbans. The trawler sank, but 17 fishermen managed to escape.
It is learnt that the trawler had ventured into the sea to catch Hilsa from Akshayanagar in Kakdwip, South 24 Parganas. It was carrying 17 fishermen.
As the trawler encountered rough waves in the deep sea, its bottom started to leak water, causing panic among the fishermen. Once the trawler sank, the fishermen made efforts to swim for their survival. A nearby fishing trawler, FB Aparajita, came to their rescue and saved all the fishermen from the sunken trawler. The rescue trawler brought the fishermen to Kakdwip Ghat, and all of them are reported to be safe, according to an official statement.
Meanwhile, five boats of fishermen have been engaged in efforts to rescue the sunken trawler. Salvage operations are currently underway, and the administration is closely monitoring the situation while taking all necessary measures.