The victims have been identified as Nur Alam (37), Kawsar (30), Saikul (33), Ibrahim (28), and Bellal (22). All five were residents of various villages under the Patharghata Sadar Union.

The maritime disaster unfolded around midday on Monday, 24 August, when the fishing trawler was caught in a squall accompanied by massive waves. Thirteen crew members were aboard the vessel at the time. Eight of them managed to survive the ordeal, leaving five trapped or swept away when the boat capsized.

Yunus Molla, the trawler’s cook who survived the crash, recounted the harrowing moments leading up to the disaster. He explained that a fierce storm had hit while the crew was preparing to cast their fishing nets. Exhausted from hours of labour, several fishermen were resting inside the trawler’s bridge cabin. Without warning, a colossal wave struck the vessel, capsizing it instantly and trapping those resting inside. Eight crew members managed to scramble into the turbulent waters and drifted for nearly two hours before another passing fishing trawler spotted them and pulled them to safety.

Once news of the accident reached the shore, the District Trawler Owners’ Association dispatched a rescue vessel into the Bay of Bengal to locate the missing men. After hours of scouring the area, searchers located and recovered the five bodies on Tuesday afternoon. Badal Molla, the owner and skipper of the vessel, confirmed that a trawler carrying the deceased fishermen set course back towards the coast shortly after the retrieval, arriving at the Patharghata landing station after a three-hour journey.

Local law enforcement agencies responded to the coast to oversee the hand-over. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Patharghata Police Station, Mohammad Abdul Alim, stated that police officers positioned themselves at the Badurtala area to receive the bodies. Authorities are completing formal legal procedures, including inquest reports, before releasing the remains to the grieving families in Patharghata.