TNI Bureau: Nine fishermen have died after a fishing trawler capsized in the Bay of Bengal, while six others, including three brothers from Odisha’s Balasore district, are still missing.

The fishermen had set out from Shankarpur Fishing Harbour in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district on July 2 for a hilsa fishing trip. Contact with the trawler was lost two days later, leading to a search operation by the Indian Coast Guard and other agencies.

The Coast Guard later located the overturned vessel near Rakteswari Balichad, around 100 kilometres offshore. The trawler was brought to Sitarampur in Gobardhanpur, where rescue teams recovered nine bodies from inside it.

The bodies have been sent to Kakdwip Hospital for post-mortem examination. Search operations are continuing to trace the remaining missing fishermen.