Dredger sinks in Bay: One dead body recovered

Body of one of the eight workers who went missing since Monday night (October 24, 2022) in the Sandwip channel of the Bay of Bengal has been recovered, while the seven others remain missing and are feared dead.

The workers went missing after a dredger sank in the Sandwip channel of the Bay of Bengal in Chattogram's Mirsharai upazila. 

The body of the victim, identified as Al Amin (20), was found by fellow workers yesterday (October 25, 2022), reports our Chattogram staff correspondent quoting Mirsharai Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Minhazur Rahaman.

The UNO said fellow workers first discovered the floating body, near the place where the dredger was sunk and recovered it at around 9:00pm.

He added that the divers of Fire Service and Civil Defence took a break from search operation as they have been conducting the drive since the accident occurred.

China Harbour Engineering Company, which is working to set up the economic zone at Mirsharai, will sent a tugboat to the spot to bring the dredger ashore, the UNO said.

Earlier on last night at around 9:30pm, the dredger – Saikat 2 -- sank and since then they are missing, UNO Minhazur said.

Imam Hossain Patwary, station officer of Mirsharai Fire Station said their divers went underwater several times but could not enter the dredger as its entrance got stuck.

"For this, we cannot say for sure how many people were trapped inside or died," he said.

The missing workers are Shaheen (37), Imam, (22), Tareq (20), Mahmud (26), Jakaria (29), Alam (35), and Jahid (27). They all hailed from Patuakhali district.

There were seven dredgers anchored in the Sandwip channel. The workers of the dredger were working under the contractor at Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA), said the UNO.

The workers of the remaining six dredgers returned to a safe place following Cyclone Sitrang warnings yesterday afternoon, he added.

At that time, there were nine workers onboard Saikat-2. One of them left the dredger, but the other eight workers did not.

Bangladesh Coastguard (east zone) Media Officer Lt Al Amin said they started the search operation around 1:00pm today. Fire service divers are also working there.