Nine Lives Claimed, Six Unaccounted in Shankarpur Trawler Mishap

A fishing trawler from Shankarpur Fish Landing Centre in West Bengal met with disaster on July 2 while out for hilsa fishing.

The vessel was later found near Rakhtachar Island, about 16 km from Bakkhali, with nine fishermen confirmed dead.

Six others remain missing, including three brothers from Uluda village in Odisha’s Balasore district — Rabindra, Jagannath, and Jayaram Majhi.

The trawler was traced and brought to Sitarampur in Gobardhanpur by a joint team comprising Gobardhanpur police, the Forest Department, and the Indian Coast Guard.

The deceased were sent to Kakdwip Sub‑Divisional Hospital for post‑mortem.

The India Meteorological Department had issued warnings of heavy rain and stormy weather in the Bay of Bengal due to a low‑pressure system.

It remains unclear whether the crew received this alert before communication was lost. Families of the missing fishermen are devastated as hopes for survival diminish.