PARADIP: Three Bangladeshi fishermen who were floating on sea for the last five days in critical condition after their boats sank were rescued by local fishermen on Friday. They have been admitted to Atharbanki hospital in a critical condition.
Sources said two Paradip-based trawlers ‘Trishakti’ and ‘Raghunath’ while operating in the sea sighted three fishermen floating in mid sea on Thursday afternoon. A fisherman on the trawler Biswanath Garu said, “as soon as we rescued them we knew that they were Bangladeshi fishermen. We brought them to the coast on the day and shifted to Atharbanki hospital.”
President, Odisha Marine Fish Producer Association Srikant Parida informed as cyclone Sitrang hit Bangladesh, these fishermen must have lost their boats. “The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 20 Bangladeshi fishermen from the sea off Sagar Island on October 25. But three more were located by local fishermen,” he added.
Assistant Fishery Officer, Paradip Manoranjan Mohapatra said, “We have handed over the three rescued fishermen to Marine Police. The condition of one fisherman is critical while two others have improved. We have also contacted the ICG for their safe return to their country.”