Members of Bangladesh Navy rescued 16 fishermen along with their fishing boat after its engine broke down in the Bay of Bengal.
The fishermen and the boat, FB Al-Amin, were rescued by naval vessel BNS Kapotakkho near the Mongla Fairway Buoy on Monday while the vessel was conducting a routine patrol in the country's maritime area, said an ISPR release on Tuesday.
The Navy said it received information on Sunday night that a fishing boat has been left drifting in the Bay after its engine broke down.
BNS Kapotakkho immediately launched a rescue operation in darkness and located the boat near the Mongla Fairway the following morning despite rough seas and adverse weather conditions.
The Navy personnel rescued all 16 fishermen and provided them with food, safe drinking water and first aid.
The fishermen said they had set out from Sharankhola in Bagerhat on August 19 aboard FB Al-Amin to catch fish in the sea.
Two days after entering the sea, the boat's engine broke down, leaving them adrift for three days before they were rescued.
The Navy later towed the disabled boat through rough seas and adverse weather to Hiron Point near the Sundarbans and handed over the fishermen and the boat to the Bangladesh Coast Guard.