Dredger capsized during Sitrang: Bodies of 8 Workers Recovered

Bodies of eight workers, who went missing after a dredger sank in the Bay of Bengal as Cyclone Sitrang hit the coastal districts Monday night, were recovered from the Bay off the coast of Mirsarai in Chattogram on Tuesday.

Five of the deceased were identified as Mahmud Molla, Alamin, Imam Molla, Abul Bashar and Tarek. They all are from Patuakhali district.

The sand lifting dredger (Saikat-2) was anchored, with the eight workers on board, in the sea around 1000 feet away from the embankment in Bashundhara area of the upazila and sank in the sea during the storm triggered by Cyclone Sitrang around 10 pm last night, Md Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirsarai Police Station, said.

Mirsarai police and fire service divers recovered the bodies from the sunken dredger around 2pm, the OC added.

Dredger manager Rezaul Karim said six more dredgers were kept in the area adjacent to the embankment in Bashundhara area. “All the other workers managed to evacuate to a safe place following the cyclone, but the eight workers of the dredger Saikat-2 did not return.”