Bagerhat Correspondent:

The boat’s engine broke down and 12 fishermen were floating in the Bay of Bengal for five days. The fishermen later called the National Emergency Service 999 and were rescued by the Coast Guard on Saturday evening.

This was confirmed by Lieutenant Muntasir Ibn Mohsin, Media Officer of Coast Guard West Zone Headquarters.

The rescued fishermen’s house is in Patharghata upazila of Barguna district. They are Majhi Masum Maulvi, Abdur Rahim, Nizam Uddin, Hanifa, Amir, Mehdi, Mosharraf, Rustom Khalifa, Mehdi Hasan, Shahjahan, Aliul Islam and Jalal.

Lieutenant Muntasir Ibne said that on March 15, a fishing boat named ‘FB Hanif Munsi’ from Patharghata Upazila of Barguna district left for the Bay of Bengal to catch fish. Later on March 19, when their boat’s engine broke down, the fishermen kept floating in the sea. Then Masum Moulvi, a boatman, called the National Emergency Service number 999 and asked for help. Coast Guard personnel from Dubla and Kochikhali stations rescued them on Saturday evening after tracking the mobile number of Masum Moulvi, who is deployed at sea, and confirmed their location. The rescued 12 fishermen have been given food and water and first aid. They will be sent home on Sunday.