Coastguard rescued three fishermen who went missing from the trawlers that capsized in the Bay of Bengal during a storm early Saturday.

At least 18 trawlers sank and 100 fishermen managed to swim ashore or were rescued by other fishermen during the storm at 5 am.

The rescued fishermen are Abdullah, and Yakub Ali from Rampal upazila ,and Raju Sheikh, from Mongla upazila in Bagerhat, said  Lieutenant Commander Abdur Rahman (Media officer) of Bangladesh Coast Guard headquarters.

READ: 18 trawlers sink in Bay, 3 fishermen go missing

They were rescued during a search  operation conducted by Dublar Char outpost of Coast Guard and were given primary medications, he said.

“The rescue operation is ongoing and the local forest office and boat owners’ association are being contacted to confirm whether any more fishing boats or fishermen still remain missing”, he said.

Earlier, Pralad Chandra Roy, in-charge of Dublarchar Forest Camp in the eastern parts of the Sundarbans, said a sudden rainstorm hit the area around 10 pm on Friday.

Ten fishing trawlers sank within 8 kms of Dublar Char and 8 fishing trawlers capsized in different areas of the Bay of Bengal,  45 kms  off Dublar Char.

He also said that a large quantity of dried fish worth Tk 2 crore were damaged during the storm.