Kolkata: A total of 31 fishermen on board two trawlers have gone missing in the Bay of Bengal on Sunday after they had ventured into the deep seas without paying heed to the warning of authorities, a state minister said.
Thirteen other fishermen on another boat which had developed a snag and drifted into the Bangladesh waters because of inclement weather were rescued by the coast guards of India and the neighbouring country in a coordinated operation, a Defence official said in Kolkata.
The missing 31 fishermen had started from Namkhana on two trawlers - FB Nayan and FB Dashabhuja - Thursday, Sundarban Development Minister Manturam Pakhira said.
All contacts with them lost on Sunday amid reports of bad weather and rough sea conditions, he said.
After getting information about this by the West Bengal Fishermen Association, Pakhira said he asked the South 24 Parganas district authorities to arrange for a search and rescue operation.
All the 31 missing fishermen were from Kakdwip area. Fishermen were advised against venturing into the sea on that day.
