33 Bangladeshi fishermen rescued by Indian Navy return

Dhaka:  The Bangladesh Navy on Thursday rescued 20 people after their boat was caught in Cyclone Mora that has wreaked havoc even as the Indian Navy returned 33 Bangladeshi fishermen who were saved off the country’s coast.

The Navy launched a massive rescue campaign mobolising 15 ships, a helicopter and a patrol aircraft, a Navy spokesman said. “The 20 cyclone survivers were rescued from near the offshore island of Kutubdia … most of them were exhausted or wounded requiring first aid,” the spokesman said.

The Navy’s comments came hours after an Indian Navy ship returned 33 Bangladeshi fishermen at a ceremony joined by Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

The fishermen, who were rescued from the Bay of Bengal by Indian Navy a day after Cyclone Mora battered the country’s southeastern coast, were handed over to Bangladesh on Thursday.

Shringla handed them over to Chittagong’s administrative chief or deputy commissioner Zillur Rahman at the Chittagong port. Rahman also received the relief materials that the Indian government sent for the people affected during Cyclone Mora. As many as 300,000 people had been taken to shelters in more than 10 districts most vulnerable to the cyclone.

The districts affected with the storm include Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal and Pirojpur. Bangladesh is often hit by bad storms between April and December that cause deaths and widespread destruction.

Cyclone Roanu hit the southern coast of Bangladesh last year, leaving 20 people dead and forcing half a million to flee their homes. The Mora cyclone formed after heavy rains in Sri Lanka caused floods and landslides killing over 200 people. (PTI)