Kolkata: In a tragic incident in the Bay of Bengal, nine fishermen from West Bengal who went missing at sea have been found dead, with their bodies recovered in a decomposed condition.
The fishermen had set out on July 2 from Shankarpur beach in East Midnapore district, planning to remain at sea for around 10 to 12 days. The weather department had warned that the sea would remain rough until July 7 and advised fishermen to return to shore immediately.
While several boats returned, the vessel that left Shankarpur with 15 fishermen did not come back, prompting relatives to alert authorities. A search operation was launched in the sea.
During the operation, information emerged that parts of the boat were floating about 5 km off the coast near Bakkharchhar in South 24 Parganas district. A subsequent search in the area led to the recovery of nine bodies, and efforts are continuing to trace the remaining six fishermen.
