Bodies of eight workers, who went missing after a dredger sank in the Bay of Bengal as Cyclone Sitrang hit the coastal districts Monday (October 24, 2022) night, were recovered from the Bay off the coast of Mirsarai in Chattogram on Tuesday.

Five of the deceased were identified as Mahmud Molla, Alamin, Imam Molla, Abul Bashar and Tarek. They all are from Patuakhali district.

Read Cyclone Sitrang kills at least 29 across Bangladesh

The sand lifting dredger (Saikat-2) was anchored, with the eight workers on board, in the sea around 1000 feet away from the embankment in Bashundhara area of the upazila and sank in the sea during the storm triggered by Cyclone Sitrang around 10 pm last night, Md Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirsarai Police Station, said.

Mirsarai police and fire service divers recovered the bodies from the sunken dredger around 2 pm, the OC added.

Read Cyclone Sitrang aftermath: 10,000 houses in 419 unions damaged, says state minister

Dredger manager Rezaul Karim said six more dredgers were kept in the area adjacent to the embankment in Bashundhara area. “All the other workers managed to evacuate to a safe place following the cyclone, but the eight workers of the dredger Saikat-2 did not return.”