Another trawler sinks off South 24 Parganas coast, 12 fishermen rescued
Times of India | 15 July 2026
Kolkata: Days after the tragic sinking of a trawler tragedy in which at least nine fishermen lost their lives, another fishing trawler met with an accident in the Bay of Bengal around 30 km off Kakdwip. All 12 fishermen on board, however, were rescued by crew members of nearby fishing trawlers. The rescued fishermen are residents of Kakdwip and Sagar blocks in South 24 Parganas.
The trawler, FB Siddhi Binayok, had sailed from Kakdwip for deep-sea fishing. The mishap occurred near Roktochora Island, about 30 km south of Bakkhali, an area notorious among fishermen for submerged sandbars and frequent maritime accidents.
Satinath Patra, member of a local fishing organisation, said, the trawler struck an underwater shoal, causing a breach in its hull. Seawater rushed in rapidly and the vessel sank within about 25 minutes. The sunken trawler was located and towed back to the coast on Tuesday morning.
Khokon Bera, the trawler’s skipper, said there was no indication of the impending danger until moments before the accident. “We suddenly heard a sound from beneath the vessel and realised something was wrong. I immediately switched on the red distress light and made repeated announcements over the public-address system. Despite our efforts, the trawler sank,” he said.
Meanwhile, search operations continued on Tuesday for the six fishermen still missing after the sinking of FB Joy Ma Kali. The Coast Guard, fishing organisations, police and the forest department are jointly carrying out the search, battling strong whirlpools and adverse sea conditions in the area.
PM Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased fisherman and Rs 50,000 for those injured.