Sri Lanka has begun arranging the repatriation of two fishermen rescued off Bangladesh after their vessel drifted for weeks in the Bay of Bengal, the Fisheries Ministry said.
The pair — a father and son from Devinuwara, reported to be aged 51 and 30 — had set out from the Dondra Fisheries Harbour in Matara on June 19 aboard the fishing boat Somirasa (IDAY-A-0122 KMN). The 32-foot vessel suffered a mechanical failure at sea, leaving the two men stranded. A third fisherman who had been on board managed to return to shore on another vessel.
Search operations by the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force were unsuccessful because the boat carried no Vessel Monitoring System or HF radio to maintain contact with shore authorities. Based on prevailing ocean currents, the Department of Fisheries concluded the vessel could have drifted a considerable distance, and diplomatic missions were alerted — eventually confirming it had entered Bangladeshi waters.
The men were found drifting near Sonarchar by a group of Bangladeshi fishermen and brought ashore at Moheshkhali, in the Cox’s Bazar area, according to The Island, which reported they had survived roughly 36 days adrift by catching and eating raw fish amid severe shortages of food and fresh water. They are now in the custody of police in the Chittagong region after briefly staying with a local fisherman.
Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Rathna Gamage has directed the Director General of the Department of Fisheries, Susantha Kahawatta, to coordinate with the Sri Lankan High Commission to secure the fishermen’s return. Bangladeshi authorities said some details of the ordeal were still being verified.
