Trawler bound for Cumilla sinks in Buriganga, two missing crew surface alive

Two boatmen reported missing after a trawler capsized in the Buriganga river near Dhaka's Sadarghat area have been found alive, the Fire Service and Civil Defence confirmed, ending a search-and-rescue operation launched earlier in the day.

The trawler sank in the Shyambazar area around 9:30am on Sunday (July 19) after being struck by the Barisal-bound-turned-Dhaka-bound launch MV Sundarban-12, according to Anwarul Islam, an official at the Fire Service's central media cell.

The vessel was carrying 10 people when it went down. Eight were rescued immediately, while two remained unaccounted for, prompting fire service divers to launch an underwater search to locate the sunken trawler and retrieve the missing men.

The two men later turned out to have swum safely to the opposite bank of the river.

Anwarul said they had no mobile phones with them at the time, which delayed word of their survival. They eventually reached their families, who relayed the information to the trawler's owner, and the owner confirmed their safety to authorities.

With no further reports of anyone missing, the Fire Service called off the search and its units returned to their station, Anwarul said.

According to the official, the trawler was newly built in Dhaka and was being ferried to Comilla when the collision occurred.