Bhubaneswar: Deep anxiety has gripped several families in Odisha after three brothers from Baleshwar district went missing in a fishing trawler tragedy off the West Bengal coast.
The three missing fishermen have been identified as Rabindra Majhi, Jagannath Majhi, and Jayaram Majhi — all sons of Madhusudan Majhi from Uluda village under Bhograi block in Balasore district. They were part of a 15-member crew aboard the trawler ‘Maa Kali’.
The trawler had set sail on July 2 from Shankarpur in Medinipur for Hilsa (Ilish) fishing in the Bay of Bengal. Contact with the vessel was lost shortly after departure. On Monday, the capsized trawler was located near Rakhtachar island, around 16 km from Bakkhali in West Bengal.
Rescue teams comprising the Indian Coast Guard, West Bengal Police, and Forest Department recovered nine dead bodies from the overturned vessel. The bodies have been sent to Kakdwip Sub-Divisional Hospital for post-mortem.
While nine fishermen have been confirmed dead, six others, including the three from Odisha, remain missing and are feared dead.
Search operations are still underway in the sea to trace the missing crew members. The news has triggered widespread grief and fear in the coastal villages of Balasore district. Families of the three missing brothers are in a state of shock and have appealed to the administration for urgent rescue efforts.
