12 Odisha fishermen rescued after trawler sinks in Bay of Bengal, 1 missing

At least 12 fishermen, who had gone missing after the trawler carrying them sank in the Bay of Bengal, have been rescued by the personnel of the India Coast Guard on Friday. However, one fisherman is still missing.

All the rescued fishermen are residents of Talchua area under Pattamundai block in Kendrapara district.

As per the preliminary report, the trawler sank in deep sea due to malfunctioning of its engine.

The fishermen had reportedly ventured into the deep sea for fishing in a trawler named--Upasana-1 on Thursday morning. However, the contact with them was snapped around 5 pm. 

Subsequently, the family members of the fishermen became apprehensive of their whereabouts and reported the matter at Talchua Marine police station.

Talchua Marine police and India Coast Guard launched a joint search operation immediately. During the operation, they traced the half-sunk trawler and the fishermen floating in deep sea. Eventually, 12 fishermen of the 13-member team were rescued. However, one among them is still missing. 

The family members of the rescued fishermen had a sigh of relief after receiving the news that they have been rescued by Coast Guard personnel.

“Based on our information, India Coast Guard personnel launched the rescue operation and rescued at least 12 fishermen successfully,” said Srikant Barik, IIC of Talchua Marine police station.

As per police sources, some of the rescued fishermen are in critical condition and undergoing treatment.

Notably, hundreds of fishermen in the area depend upon fishing to earn their livelihood.