68 Fishermen Rescued 25 Hours After Pirate Attack on Five Fishing Trawlers in Bay of Bengal

Sixty-eight fishermen have been rescued nearly 25 hours after a pirate attack on five fishing trawlers in the Bay of Bengal. They were brought to Patharghata in Barguna at around 9 PM on Thursday.

The fishermen claimed that the pirates looted fish worth Tk 2 million, Tk 50,000 in cash, and 30 mobile phones. Five of them were shot during the attack.

H.M.M. Harun-or-Rashid, media officer of the Patharghata Coast Guard, confirmed the information to The Daily people's time on Friday morning.
He said, "Upon receiving the report, we rescued the trawlers and the fishermen. The injured were sent to the Upazila Health Complex for treatment."

The incident occurred around 7 PM on Wednesday in the Bor Baijda area, approximately 120 kilometers southeast of Patharghata. The identities of the pirates are still unknown.

The trawlers attacked were FB Tarek-2, FB Tufan-2, FB Ma, FB Abdullah, and FB Junaid.
Rafique Gazi, captain of FB Abdullah, said, "We were waiting after casting nets in the sea when pirates on a speedboat attacked us. When we tried to resist, they boarded the trawler, beat us up, and looted everything, including the fish."

He added, "Before leaving, they disabled the engine. When we shouted 'pirates, pirates!' as they were fleeing, they fired from a distance, injuring at least five fishermen."

The injured fishermen include:

Monir Hossain Majhi (35) from Boro Tengra area, Bellal (40) from Kalmegha, Abul Kalam (50), Bellal (31) from Chhonbunia Kalmegha, Zahid (22) from Charkagachia in Barguna Sadar, Ibrahim (30) from Noli, Elias (20) from Ajoakathi, Mostafa (60) from Noli Sajipara.

Milon Boyati, cook on the FB Junaid trawler, said, "The pirates boarded our trawler, beat me up, and looted all our fish, food, and supplies. They were armed with guns and sharp weapons, about 25 to 30 of them in total."

Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna District Fishing Trawler Owners' Association, said the pirates disabled the trawlers’ engines and took away the wireless radios. The fishermen later managed to send out an alert via a vessel, prompting the police and coast guard to respond. The association also sent two trawlers to help with the rescue.

Patharghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Roknuzzaman Khan said, "We received the news through the trawler owners' association on Thursday afternoon. With help from the Coast Guard, Navy, and the owners' association, we rescued the 68 fishermen and brought them to the Patharghata Fish Landing Center by 9 PM. The injured were treated at the Upazila Health Complex."

Dr. Mahbub Hossain from the health complex said three of the injured were in critical condition and have been sent to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal for advanced treatment. The rest are out of danger.

Patharghata Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Mehedi Hasan said, "The pirate attack took place outside our station's jurisdiction, so the police of that area will take legal action. However, since most of the fishermen are from Patharghata, we will take action if anyone files a written complaint with us."