Rescuers on the lookout for four missing fishermen

No trace has been found of the four fishermen who went missing in the Bay of Bengal early on Saturday, as a rescue team has started their operation. Police said the rescue team did not get any success due to poor weather.

Five fishermen had gone into the Bay of Bengal and encountered a storm. The boat capsized and five of the fishermen fell overboard. One of them were rescued, four are still missing.

“The Indian Coast Guard has sent a rescue team and they are trying their best to find those fishermen,” said a police officer.

The missing fishermen –  Vivekananda Sarkar, Prasanta Mondal, Srikrishna Maity and Badal Sarkar – were all residents of South 24 Parganas district; another fisherman Gautam Sit was rescued.

“We have contacted their families and assured them of a speedy rescue operation. We hope they will be found soon,” the officer added.

Trawlers, with several fishermen, going missing in the Bay of Bengal have become regular in the state, despite weather alerts regularly given to the fishermen. “Sometime fishermen avoid the weather alerts. In this case, I think those five fishermen evaded the alert and went into the sea,” the officer added.

Fishermen Welfare Association is also in contact with the police and coast guard. "All our efforts were in vain because of the inclement weather and storm," said a member of the association.

The coast guard are preparing to start the search operation for the fishermen again. Meanwhile, the rescued fisherman, Gautam Sit is undergoing treatment at a local hospital.