Saturday 27 / April / 2024
Mumbai: A total of 516 fishermen and 32 boats were successfully repatriated from Bangladesh in a coordinated operation by the Indian Coast Guard and their counterparts from Bangladesh.
A press release from India's Ministry of Defence stated that the boats were stranded and had taken shelter at the Port of Payra in Bangladesh approximately 135 kilometres from the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) due to inclement weather and rough sea conditions in the Bay of Bengal.
The fishing boats were escorted by the Bangladesh Coast Guard ships Mansoor Ali and Sadhini Bangla up to the IMBL where they were formally handed over to the ICG ships Vijaya and Anmol.
The boats along with the fishermen are being escorted up to Kakdwip harbour where they will be handed over to the State Fisheries Authorities.
The release added that the search for 24 missing Indian fishermen is in progress by the Bangladesh Coast Guard, naval ships and aircraft in Bangladeshi waters. Besides searching across IMBL, Indian Coast Guard ships, hovercraft and aircraft are also carrying out searches off the West Bengal Coast and along the IMBL.
India's Ministry of Defence added that the coordinated response between Coast Guard agencies of India and Bangladesh demonstrates their mutual commitment to the safety of fishermen at sea and further strengthens the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
