A serious maritime incident has cast a shadow over the Bay of Bengal, leaving several Indian fishermen missing. An Indian fishing vessel, identified as FB Paramita-11, capsized near the sensitive India-Bangladesh International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the early hours of Monday.
Rescue Efforts and Conflicting Numbers
The capsizing led to all 16 individuals on board, including the captain, being thrown into the water. Initial reports indicated that 11 fishermen had been successfully rescued, leaving five unaccounted for. However, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) later stated that 15 fishermen had been rescued, while maintaining that there was no trace of five others, highlighting some initial confusion in the aftermath.
The trawler had begun its journey from the Namkhana jetty in South 24 Parganas on Sunday morning. The incident occurred approximately 110 nautical miles from the Indian coast, a significant distance into the sea. The Coast Guard is currently transporting the rescued individuals back on another trawler, though direct communication with them has not yet been established.
Allegations of a Collision Emerge
While the ICG has refrained from commenting on the cause of the tragedy, local fishermen's associations have put forward a serious allegation. They claim the accident was caused by a collision with another vessel. Satinath Patra, secretary of the Sundarbans Marine Fishermen's Union, provided a detailed account, alleging that a ship collided with the trawler after the fishermen had begun fishing in their designated area.
Patra further asserted, "The ship left without rescuing the fishermen. I heard the ship turned off all its lights before the impact. I heard it was a Bangladesh Coast Guard ship." He was quick to add that there were no allegations of the Indian trawler itself violating the maritime boundary.
Search Continues for the Missing
The focus remains on locating the five missing fishermen. Bijon Maity, joint secretary of the state Fishermen Welfare Association, reported that the missing individuals hail from several areas: Namkhana, Kakdwip, Kultali, and Burdwan. Their identities have not been publicly released at this time.
Defence sources confirmed that the ICG received information about a capsized fishing trawler off the South 24 Parganas coast and promptly dispatched a team of officers who carried out the rescue operation. The search for the missing five is ongoing, with the circumstances leading to the capsizing under a cloud of allegations and yet to be officially determined.
